To Find Peace
by Verse Gypsy
Summary: Part Six of my series. Set two years after Invasion, Mustang and the Team see the cumulation of nefarious plans, while coming to terms with their place in the greater costumed world. Introducing the Huntress, and a few cameos. Lemons, as always, are present.
1. Chapter 1

**I bet you thought I wasn't going to finish, huh? Surprise! I'm doing something a little different this time around, publishing as a serial instead of a complete work, so let's see how _that_ works out for me. (Don't worry, this is complete, no waiting a week between updates.)**

 **As always, I owe IllusoryGentleman a ton of thanks for being a sounding board as well as keeping me focused. Go read and love his work, it's awesome.**

 **And... I own none of this, except maybe the OC's, and even then, I'm making no money off of them, nor do I claim ownership of any property already owned and trademarked.**

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April 9th  
Destin Florida  
1515 CST

The Hacienda was buzzing with a flurry of activity. Even though the League had returned to more or less normal duty following their exercise in seeing what their people were capable of, it seemed like it was the right day of the week for some messed up things to start happening.

"So, get this." Fractal said, his nanosuit stopping at his neck for the time being. He pointed to a map of the Middle East, marked with a couple of red dots and a broken path line. "The League received a communique from Bialya of all places. Seven missile launching vehicles were hijacked from a convoy."

"We care why?" Shield Maiden asked, studying the map. It was no secret among the world that Bialya wasn't the friendliest nation on Earth. "Seven less weapons at their disposal after all."

"We care," Fractal said, zooming the holographic map into a tighter view. "Because before the GPS units in the vehicles were disabled, it showed them heading in a direct line into firing range of Kandaq. Even Queen Bee fears Black Adam, and he takes any act of aggression against his people as a reason to personally devastate the responsible parties."

"So, we're stopping a war between two nations that a lot of people want wiped off the map. This'd be a lot easier if there weren't innocent civilians in harm's way." Mustang mused. "What's the plan?"

"Shield Maiden, Fujin, and I are Alpha. We're heading into Bialya to investigate the source of the theft. Miss Martian is giving us a ride into the country in her Bioship. Daeva, Mustang, and Lady G are Bravo. Your task is to make sure those missile trucks don't make it close enough to fire their payload, by any means necessary." Fractal said, and then turned to focus more directly on Scramble.

"You'll be the search for their destroy mission." He signed, speaking as well so everyone heard him. "Once you've spotted the trucks, plant a tracer and head into Bialya, to support Alpha."

Scramble nodded and gave a thumbs up, leaning comfortably against the wall.

"How are we getting to them?" Daeva asked, looking at the map.

"After the problems Qurac had with Bialya, they've been much more open to League presence, so much so that there's a Zeta stop in three cities. Mustang will fly you to the location once Scramble has placed the tracker."

"What about us?" Koa asked, gesturing to himself and Pacifica. He didn't like being left out of a gig, especially one where he could show up and run wreck pretty much at will. He didn't mind having some quiet time with her, but not at the expense of his team's safety.

"This mission takes place entirely in a desert. While you aren't susceptible to that environment, Pacifica is, and we need her here to rift us if necessary. You will remain on standby in the event of an emergency, so go ahead and get your party favors ready." Fractal said, his mask crawling up his face in a truly creepy fashion.

"It's game time, let's go." He said; his attitude relaxed and calm, not the fussy nitpicking everyone had gotten so used to. If it weren't for the fact that his transition in attitude had been so gradual, it would be suspect.

April 10th  
Southern Qurac desert  
0015 AST

Bravo team sat huddled together out of necessity. It helped that Daeva and Mustang were already close to one another emotionally, and Godiva was in no way afraid of physical contact, especially considering the dramatic shift in temperatures. "I'm freezing my tits off." She complained, huddled up close with her teammates.

"I don't feel the air temperature." Daeva said, though she wasn't saying it as a taunt. It was just truth. The natural world belonged to her, and as such, wasn't a threat. She knew it was cold, it just didn't affect her with anything more than annoyance and discomfort. Besides, she was perfectly willing to add her small body to the huddle to provide warmth. "Mustang's coat is insulated though and it expands too." She added helpfully.

"That's all you had to say chick. Mustang, make room, I'm coming in." Godiva said, scooting around and getting under the drape of her teammate's long rider coat. Immediately she felt the heat trapped within in, and squirmed as close to his body as possible. "She'd kill me for this, wouldn't she?" Godiva asked, referencing Mustang's fiancée, who was none too fond of her aggressive flirtations and propositions, to the both of them.

"For this, no." Mustang replied, his focus slightly divided in an effort to generate a telekinetic dome over them to block the winds. It was easy to forget how cold the desert could get at night. "You're too cold to do any bad touching anyway."

"Hey, I'm never too cold to bad touch someone, but if I were, this is close to it." Maddie argued, wishing the alien half of her physiology would kick in and offer her some measure of adaptation against the bitter chill. "Can't you do something about this Daeva?"

"You're asking me to effectively command the winds that cross a million square miles of desert Godiva. I appreciate that you think I'm that powerful, but I'm not. I can't make a fire either, because we'd be seen for miles." Daeva countered, though yeah, the fact that such a feat was assumed within her purview felt nice.

"I don't think it matters anyway." Maddie said, hearing a faint beeping sound within Mustang's coat. She reached behind her and fumbled for it, leaving him glad he hadn't pocketed the small tracking monitor in his jeans. "Scramble found them about six hundred miles away. This doohickey says they're within forty miles of launch range."

"I gotta break the sound barrier to get there then. We're gonna get heard before we get seen. I hope you're ready for hostilities ladies." Mustang said, banishing the dome and wrapping both of his teammates up in a telekinetic grip. While Aasha was perfectly capable of sustained flight on her own, her air speed was considerably lower than her teammates. It didn't so much bother her though, because despite his leaps and strides in gaining maneuverability, she could fly circles around him with no effort at all.

[Link's up, hold tight, I ain't wasting time here.] he said and carried them a few hundred feet into the air, before generating a massive amount of potential energy. In the near absolute dark of the desert, the visible disruptions in the air couldn't be seen, but they could be felt. He kept at it for several seconds, doing all of his acceleration at once before popping the clutch and sending them rocketing at hypersonic speed in the direction they needed to go.

[I'll handle ground forces. Daeva, if you can keep them guessing where we are, it'd make things easier. Mustang, you keep them from launching.] Maddie said, pulling a small respirator mask from her belt and cinching it. A sandstorm wouldn't affect Daeva, and Mustang would be shielding himself. It left her in the unenviable position of having to worry about a lungful of sand.

[I'm good to go when you are. Navigation app says six minutes to destination.] Mustang said, still generating force behind them.

[Ready.] both girls replied, functionally at once, before the acceleration hit them. Protected by his telekinetic shielding, the force wasn't necessarily dangerous, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either, the ground and sky shooting by so fast that their equilibrium couldn't keep up. Daeva counted six sonic booms in rapid succession, amazed by the cone of pressure that built up before each one. That same cone was beginning to develop again when their momentum arrested to a near stop.

Below them, several men in tactical gear and balaclavas were scanning their surroundings, rifles out and at the ready. [That's my cue.] Daeva said, and felt her teammate's telekinetic grip release her. Floating in midair, she reached within herself and found her core, a bright mote of light within her soul. She tapped into it, and willed the Earth to her bidding, commanding wind of terrible speeds to whip up, spraying the area in a maelstrom of sand.

[My turn. Drop me.] Maddie instructed, and she too felt the careful grip of her teammate let go, allowing her to plummet to the ground. She landed at high velocity, kicking more sand into the storm, but the impact was no worse than hopping off the next to last step for her, meaning once her tech glasses calibrated to the weather, she was ready to go.

From his vantage point up above, Mustang took in the view without being able to contain a laugh at the misfortune of the mercenary troops. He'd hit the record button on his own tech glasses, so that everyone else could appreciate the sight of one of these mercs trying to escape the storm, only to get yanked back into it by a deep blue sleeved arm. Their fear was palpable, but these guys were professionals, and tried their best to regroup to respond.

He didn't feel like telling them it wouldn't be enough, instead, he felt it necessary to demonstrate it. First, by extended his telekinetic reach onto the missile trucks, and then further, enveloping the missile pods each carried, before ripping them off of the trucks quite handily, a grand gesture preceding an awful sound of metal shearing and twisting.

[Daeva, pound the ground so I can herd these guys.] Godiva requested, brushing another AK round off, before dashing directly to the shooter and crumpling him with a punch so weak she almost felt guilty it took him down. Almost.

[As you like.] Daeva replied, calling the lightning to join the wind, her sandstorm getting ringed with bright flashes. Each impact scorched the ground, leaving a dark spot which was quickly scoured away by the rushing sandstorm which still filled the area. It did the job of herding the merc team, who was smart enough not to run where lightning was, instead willing to take their chances against the demon amongst the winds.

[You need me to drop these rockets and help out?] Mustang said, feeling like teats on a boar hog at the moment.

[Nope, this is woman's work, you can keep yourself out of it.] Godiva replied in a jokingly condescending tone. [I needed a chance to stretch out anyway.]

[Is it even a stretch? All I'm hearing is small arms fire.] Mustang replied, keeping his eyes out on the periphery of the sandstorm, in the event one of the mercs managed to slip away. They could have a shot lined up on Daeva and eliminate the crowd control in less than a second, and with her lacking any ability to defend against bullets, it left her more fragile than he cared to consider.

[Nope, there's grenades happening in here too. They make my boobies jiggle, it's kind of, oh you son of a bitch, hang on.] Godiva replied in answer. Unable to see what was happening, the two fliers were forced to wait until Lady G had solved whatever problem had cropped up.

When one of the missile trucks went flying out of the sandstorm to land a dozen yards away, they had their answer. [They caught me fighting a cluster and thought running me over might work. These guys were seriously unprepared for us.]

[I believe that's a good thing.] Daeva replied, still focusing on the winds and lightning. She hazarded a glance over to her teammate, still floating calmly in the air, his telekinetic grip on the missile pods absolute. As an artist, she'd trained her eye to zero in on a moment and hold it, and in the dark desert, with wind whipping about, she saw a moment of him that she felt absolutely compelled to commit to paper or canvas.

The honesty of expression was important to her, catching people at their most unhidden and vulnerable. She'd drawn so many nudes of her girlfriend for that reason, and even the clothed pictures were inspired by moments where she wasn't the nightmare of criminals in her city. In fact, Daeva had more than a couple of books filled of pictures of her team. Maddie and Kris were her favorite subjects, due to how closed off they were. Liho and Deke, well, _those_ two were a painful case of getting what you see, but on a rare moment, they could surprise her.

[Okay, kill the weather; I think I've got them all. Mustang, get ready in case of stragglers.] Godiva said over the link. She kept vigilant as the winds died down, and when they'd ceased, she couldn't help but laugh at the situation. The aftermath of Daeva's crowd control had caused a shallow bowl shape to be dug from the sand, so gradual that nobody had even noticed.

"I think that's it. What are we doing with the missiles?" Godiva yelled out in her real voice. To answer her question, seven of the pods, each carrying eight missiles, lifted several hundred feet in the air, before being crushed violently. Contrary to Hollywood, they didn't explode though, as they'd not yet been armed. The last pod though, remained quite comfortable on the sand.

"I thought Fractal might want to have some fun with the tracking and guidance packages in these things, so maybe we don't have to do this anymore." Mustang said, releasing his grip and scattering the ruined pieces of the destroyed pods over a half-mile of desert.

"Look at Mustang using his thinking brain." Godiva said once the three of them were all within conversational range. "Daeva, what are you doing?" she asked, noticing her diminutive teammate rooting about on the periphery of the depression her winds had created.

"Looking for fulgurite. It's pretty." Daeva said in a very matter-of-fact tone, summoning much more gentle winds to blow the sand away near where her lightning had struck. "I bet Shield Maiden could make some lovely jewelry."

"Well hurry it up, we're on the clock here. If Alpha doesn't report in soon enough, we need to get into Biyalia in a hurry." Godiva said while tying up the mercenaries. While lackadaisical in most regards, when it came to doing _the job_ , as it were, she turned into pure business. "While we're waiting though, what'd you wind up doing for your birthday?" she asked, turning to look at Mustang.

"Nothing, actually. Been too busy." He drawled, reflexively casting a glance at Daeva's behind as she was bent over looking for lightning glass. "I was wanting to do something tonight, so long as Queen Bee doesn't get frisky."

"Is Psimon still in her employ?" Daeva asked, picking up a piece of the material she was looking for. The intense heat generated by lightning created small pieces of glass out of the sand, and she'd found a nice sized chunk of it.

"I hope not. I dunno if I can handle him or not. Miss Martian put him down but she's a way more powerful telepath." Mustang said with an involuntary shudder. The longer he could keep from tangling with that sociopathic asshole, the better. He aided his teammate in her endeavor, cuffing the paramilitary thieves so that Quraci forces could swing by and pick them up safely. When Godiva saw him helping, she went about the onerous task of destroying their weapons, bending and breaking them beyond repair.

"Mustang, what kind of guns are these?" She asked, holding a rifle in the air.

"AK's and Krinkov's, a few Galil's too. Good guns for desert combat." He said, cuffing the last of the mercs. "Nothing out of the ordinary really."

"Worth asking though." Daeva offered, pocketing the piece of fulgurite she'd recovered. "Let's clear out of here, shall we?"

"Sounds good," Godiva said, wrapping her arms around her chest to stave off the cold. The fight had warmed her up, but not well enough. She dropped a beacon among the cuffed and unconscious mercenaries, and then looked at her teammates. "Okay, I'm done being in charge, one of you two get to do it now."

"Well then, saddle up." Daeva said, winking at Mustang. "Let's ride."


	2. Chapter 2

April 10th  
Quraci/Bialyan Border  
0109 AST

"Run!" Shield Maiden said, bringing her mystical shield up to deflect the ammunition being fired at them from the Bialyan soldiers. The shield, much more than simple wood and iron, seemed to not only stop the rounds coming in towards it, but also drawing strays towards it as well.

Behind her, Fractal and Fujin were dashing off towards the gate which meant entrance into Qurac. It left her covering their escape, which was just fine by her. The Maiden's Shield was a powerful artifact, and had its own bag of tricks. Through an act of pure will and determination, she mentally commanded her shield to extend its area of protection further out, effectively turning her into a one woman shield wall.

"Come on!" Fujin yelled out from well behind her. "I've got you covered!" And, indeed he did. In the dark of the night, it seemed like the hour itself came alive, shadows warping and twisting about. Several Bialyan soldiers lost their nerve and panicked, dropping their weapons and yelling something in their native tongue. With less weapon fire on her, it was less effort to maintain the barrier, which meant Shield Maiden could make an orderly withdrawal.

Ducked behind the guard shack, Fractal watched the scene unfold. With measured, almost casual steps, Shield Maiden backed further and further away from the Bialyan troops. Each step put her closer to their destination; all the while bullets struck her shield and stopped dead. When one of the Bialyan troopers calmly let his rifle hang from the sling, and grabbed something off of the pack of his partner though, a cold terror began working its way through Fractal's veins.

The rocket propelled grenade fired off, sailing true through the air. Catching sight, Shield Maiden brought her mystical artifact up and tight to her body, trying to hide her entire body behind it. As expected, the ancient runic sorcery which empowered the shield drew the explosive round, pulling it even more accurately onto a collision course with her.

When it hit, the impact was both deafening and blinding. Flying through the air on the wave of concussion from the explosion, Shield Maiden was still trying to collect herself when she hit the asphalt and began skidding. Before she'd even come to a stop though, she felt a larger hand grab her by the metal pauldron on her right shoulder and bring her to her feet.

"Gotcha," Mustang said, and signaled above him. Immediately, massive gouts of fire began springing up from the cracking and sundering Earth. The effect was both dramatic, and terrifying, causing the rest of the Bialyan soldiers to scatter for cover.

"Thanks." Shield Maiden said, heading towards the border checkpoint under her own power again, this time not bothering to make a tactical withdrawal. With Daeva's quite literal earthshaking threats and Mustang's telekinetic barrier, she was able to just bail on the situation and move to safety. In one last act of defiance though, she drew a seax knife from her belt and whipped the thing at the knockoff humvee's the Bialyan's were driving around in, puncturing one of the tires with an audible banging sound.

"We're clear!" Godiva yelled, ushering her teammates across the border into Qurac as quickly and efficiently as possible. Both Daeva and Mustang sailed backwards, covering the distance in the air, and once together, the lot of them backed well further away, not wanting to test the limits of their welcome in Qurac.

"Where's Scramble?" Daeva asked, once they'd ducked into an abandoned automobile repair garage. "He could have made much easier work of those Bialyan's than we did." It was plain by her tone of voice and expression that she wasn't exactly happy at the absence of their high-speed teammate.

"On mission." Fractal said, leaning against a wall and trying to catch his breath. "I hated sending him off, but it was necessary. The mercenaries that stole the missile trucks were Rhelasian military. Facial recognition placed them as former Northern special operations."

"So, what's he doing?" Mustang drawled, tucking a wad of shredded jerky in between his bottom lip and gum.

"Following a coded data transmission to its source, and placing a wireless interceptor on or near wherever it's being transmitted from." Fractal replied with a smirk. His team knew well and good just what exactly he was capable of doing once that piggyback signal went live.

"So, that's it then? We're good?" Fujin asked, so calm and cool despite everything that had just happened. Either he was just that kind of a professional, or he was extremely accustomed to being shot at by foreign militaries while spending time in their countries illegally. Or both; that seemed the most likely.

"Not quite. Mustang got you a present." Godiva said, looking directly at Fractal. "We had Pacifica rift it back to the Hacienda already. She's holding the iris open on the thing too, so we might wanna get there before her highness has a fainting spell."

"Spatial magic is difficult." Daeva said in an admonishing tone. "So yes, we should hurry. There's plenty of time to play with the missiles later."

April 9th  
Destin Florida  
1700 CST

Deke turned the water off to the shower, and leaned against the wall for a minute before moving. He'd gotten back to his room to see a message on his phone from his beloved, telling him that she wouldn't be home until later, but not to worry about her. So of course the first thing he did was worry about her. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, far from it actually. He just didn't trust Gotham.

Finally stepping out of the shower, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. If he ignored a shave for another day or two, he'd be wearing a legitimate big boy beard. "Fuck it." He muttered, his hand hovering over his razor before leaving it unused.

"Language mister!" he heard from outside his room, causing him to stiffen and pause. Her tone of voice was playful though, and it was, without a doubt, the love of his life.

Barbara giggled as the door to his bathroom flew open. Her face turned warm at the sight of him looking at her, his eyes so full of want and need. "Well, where's my love?" she asked in a pert voice.

"Right here." He said after clearing the distance to his bed in a single, telekinetically assisted leap. He wrapped her up in his arms and just held onto her, squeezing her warmly. "Your message said you weren't going to be home until later."

"I sent that at noon." She chided, nuzzling into his embrace and inhaling his scent deeply. "But I think I'm glad you didn't notice that."

He held onto her for several long minutes, content to remain like that forever, but she had other ideas apparently. "Your hair is still soaking wet." She said, planting a kiss on him to soften the blow of her extricating herself from his grip. "And now apparently, so is my shirt."

"At least it's not white." Deke said sheepishly. He climbed off his bed and summoned a pair of boxer briefs to his hands, pulling them on under his towel. This wasn't out of any modesty, as she'd surely seen every inch of him by now, but out of a simple desire not to tease. After getting lectured about paying attention to what he was doing following his evening with Aasha, he was much more alert to his actions.

"This is true, but still." Barbara said, pulling her tee shirt away from her chest. "So, I'm not here purely for pleasure, I do have a little bit of business to do." She admitted, getting herself into a more comfortable position to watch him getting dressed.

Turning to look at her, his expression was quizzical. "What kind of business are we talking about here?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"I come bearing some gifts, so get dressed. No rush though, please take your time." She said with a bewitching smile on her face. Blushing, he stepped into a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, this one dark purple with a graphic print of a yellow bat symbol. The irony wasn't lost either, as she showed him the tip of her tongue with a snicker.

"What? Just repping my favorite superhero." He said with a wink, before taking a brush through his hair. Barbara slid off the bed and walked towards him, a sway in her hips, and took the brush from him to handle the task herself. She motioned towards his small desk chair and waited for him to sit before beginning.

"Flatterer." She accused as she ran the brush through his mane. "I was going to get you a drying brush like mine, but it straightens too and I just can't have that. I love those waves too much." She admitted, leaning down to take in a breath of his sandalwood three-in-one. When she'd voiced her very obvious pleasure at his selection of a good scent, he'd immediately stopped using anything but that, something she fully appreciated.

"So, what was it you had to do that kept you out? Does it have to do with those gifts you mentioned?" He asked, eyes closed and focusing on the feeling of the brush bristles in his scalp.

"Part of it, yeah. What really matters though is, I think I found my place in the greater caped world." She said. "I turned the League down because Gotham needed me more than the rest of the world, and you were right, with school being the millstone that it is, the Zeta lag and everything else was taking a toll on my education."

Deke nodded to acknowledge that he'd heard her, allowing her to continue uninterrupted. "So, Artemis and I, along with Huntress and Flamebird, well, we're putting together a project of our own, and Black Canary is going to help us out on the League end."

"All-girl squad of vigilantes?" Deke asked. "Or, just a squad of vigilantes that just happen to all be girls?"

"The latter, Cowboy." Barbara said a bit dryly. "We're not hanging a 'no boys allowed' sign on the door of the clubhouse, we just happen to be the ones in a position to do something for Gotham, especially when Batman is helping the League."

"You needed the help, I'm not bitching." Deke replied. Batman had told him almost three years ago, point blank, to _not_ patrol Gotham without being asked. He understood the reasoning of course. Batman was, ultimately, one man without superpowers. The moment that dynamic changed, so would Gotham, and not for the better. "Got a name for your crew?"

"We do. Artemis' idea actually. Birds of Prey. What do you think?" Barbara asked, leaning down to kiss him again, and quite intentionally resting her breasts on his forehead to do it.

"I think that's freakin' badass." Deke answered honestly, enjoying the comforting weight of her breasts on his head for the short period she'd left them there. "You patrolling tonight?" he asked, his tone making it clear why he was asking.

"Nope. Batman and Robin are handling that for the next few weeks." Barbara replied, setting the brush aside and stepping around the side of the chair to sit across his lap. "I'm sorry about yesterday." She added, kissing him softly.

"Don't apologize for that," Deke replied. "I mean, it's thoughtful of you to, but you were kind of busy saving lives. That's the woman I fell in love with."

Barbara's cheeks colored pink at his words, causing her to place another small kiss on his lips. "Speaking of love, by the way; I know we missed your birthday, but if we can put it off until the day after tomorrow, would you be upset?"

"You know me better than that. You have plans?" He asked, putting his arms under her and standing up out of the chair. She giggled and nuzzled into him again, just one of those Barbara things that had also heavily contributed to turning like into love.

"I do, actually. I've got a job I have to do tomorrow morning, and I was hoping you'd be willing to join me. It actually pays too, which is rare. I promise, once that's over, it'll be happy birthday to you." Barbara said with that intoxicating look in her eyes as she traced a finger across his chest, punctuating her statement with small taps of her fingernail. When the girl wanted something, it was obvious, and impossible to keep her from it.

"So, what are we waiting on?" Deke asked, setting her down by the door and taking a second to wrestle control of his body, so he could go downstairs without it being plainly obvious how he felt about her proposal.

"The presents. Q-Core donated a bunch of stuff to the Movers and the Titans. Q-Books, Q-Pads, and Q-Phones, all next generation stuff too." Barbara explained. "We're supposed to be testing them for durability and reliability though, so keep that in mind."

"I'd rather see how durable and rugged I am." Deke said, putting his hands on her hips and giving her a loving squeeze.

"Oh, that's definitely going to happen Cowboy." Barbara replied, feeling warm in her core at his touch. Her hips were a specific spot of hers, and he'd learned just how to put his hands on her the right way. "But not here, not yet."

Her tone said as much as what her words would have, so he removed his hands, albeit reluctantly, and slipped his feet into a pair of sandals before opening the door and making a gentlemanly gesture towards her. "After you." He said, though he swatted her bottom as she passed. There was no resisting it, that solid, bouncy round backside of hers, cultivated through years of hard work and exercise. While by no means the biggest ass in the world, she still had one hell of a booty.


	3. Chapter 3

April 10th  
Gotham City  
0700 EST

"Holy crap, this plane." Deke said, getting a look at the interior of the Wayne Enterprises private jet. Obviously designed to transport executives at the very highest levels, it was decked for comfort, with plush leather seats and a matching sofa, all in a matte gray that matched the carpet, and set off with deep red wood trim. "This is, woah." He added, hanging the garment bag he had over his shoulder on the short rack.

"Right?" Barbara replied, stepping in behind him. She'd seen the plane, hell, she'd _flown_ the plane, so she'd made sure to let him walk in first, just so she could see his reaction. The way he stood there with wide eyed amazement, trying to take every detail in was both amusing and endearing to her. Offhandedly, she wondered if that was how he was as a little boy, before life had dealt the series of bad hands he'd been given.

Setting her own laptop case down, she waved to the airport employees who wheeled the staircase away, before triggering the button which shut the door to the cabin. "We're in." she said after sticking her head into the cockpit, and then turned to her boy. "Have a seat and buckle up, we're about to take off."

"I've never flown _in_ a plane before." He said with a sheepish grin, though he did as she asked and clipped the seatbelt on in the chair he'd chosen. She sat down across from him and did the same thing, though she stretched out more comfortably, and slid her toes up and down his lower leg with a smile.

"You're getting spoiled then. Wayne Enterprises has a thriving aeronautical division. Only place better is Ferris, but that's to be expected." Barbara replied. The pair felt the private jet taxiing along, and shortly thereafter, the whine of the engines reached a high pitch before they were pushed back into their seats. "Take off time." She said, just soaking in his reactions.

Which were nothing short of adorable. He had the look of a little boy who'd just been told he could have whatever he wanted from the toy store. The feeling of inertia, the whine of the engines, the sudden change when the plane lifted off, it was all so exciting. It was also warm, which was something he couldn't say for his own flight. It was certainly fast, but he'd developed that speed out of necessity. The longer he was up, the colder he got, and that cold could get dangerous quickly.

"We're at cruising altitude, you can unbuckle now. It's approximately five hours until we reach Star City so we'll be there on or around nine am, and the weather forecast says low to mid-seventies and rain, so perfect Star City weather." The pilot said, and pulled the door to the cockpit closed. He'd transported enough businessmen to know what happened in the cabin of his aircraft.

"Compared to Zeta lag, this won't be a problem." Deke drawled. "But, you were sketchy on the details babe, what are we doing exactly?"

Barbara nodded, getting out of her seat and heading to the couch. She patted the cushion next to her, and waited for her fiancé to join her before explaining. "About a year ago, Queen Consolidated and Wayne Enterprises began engaging in joint business ventures. Nothing big or dramatic, but enough to test the waters. Since it's gone well, the boards of both companies are interested in going further. We're delivering a vital piece of technology in order to facilitate this."

"Your briefcase?" he asked, gesturing to the plain black attaché case she'd brought with her. They'd stopped by the Wayne building before hitting the airport, just long enough for a bland faced employee in a suit to walk out and hand it through the open window of the limo Bruce had let them use.

"Yep." She said sweetly, booping him on the nose for good measure. She'd slept wonderfully the night before, despite not getting the kind of workout she'd really wanted, and it was showing. "That briefcase holds the Tarrasque. It's a file transfer protocol that renders all digital communication between the two companies invisible and secure. Kris wrote the architecture and I wrote the security, based off of code Dick had written a couple of years ago."

"And we're guarding what I'm guessing is a flash drive, why?" Deke asked. Computers would never be his strong suit. If it wasn't browsing the web, doing homework, looking up porn or playing on social media, he was pretty well lost.

"Because anyone with Tarrasque has complete and unfettered access to the collected information stored at both Wayne Enterprises and Queen Consolidated. You can imagine why that would be a problem." Barbara said, being extra careful not to answer him in a condescending tone. Her boy wasn't a luddite, but he could edge that way.

"That name's bugging me, I've seen it before." He said, racking his brain for the answer. "That D&D book, right?"

Barbara's face split wide in a grin. Since donning the cape she hadn't had a chance to sit down and roll some dice at all. That he recognized the name and where it came from gave him hope. It meant she only needed to convert Ash and another couple of people. "Very good." She said, turning on the sofa to rest her legs on her boy's lap. "So, we're meeting the security detail from Queen Consolidated, and together we're delivering Tarrasque to the company. That's why we had to bring suits. There's one other thing though."

"What's that?" Deke asked, sensing a slight shift in her emotions. She wasn't sad, or upset, or worried, but something had taken her positively beautiful mood and brought it down a notch.

"There's a case in my bag, if you could please?" she asked, pointing to her suitcase proper. With a simple gesture, it slid across the floor and into a standing position beside her. She opened it up and produced a small black plastic case, and handed it to him. "This job needs to go off without a hitch, so no powers unless people are absolutely about to die. This has to be your first line of defense."

Deke opened the case and saw a compact pistol nestled into the foam, with three fully loaded high capacity magazines sitting next to it. The brass was simple and plain, but the projectiles themselves were a dull black. "What kind of ammo is this?" he asked, having never seen similar.

"You ought to be familiar with them, they're non-lethal rounds, real next-gen stuff that's being developed for law enforcement. You can handle this, right? I saw your dad's guns, well, your guns I suppose, but they were rifles and shotguns." She said, watching him look over the firearm in the case.

With a shrug, he took the pistol out of the case, drew back and locked the slide, gave it a quick inspection, and then dropped the slide back before thumbing the de-cocker switch. "Yeah, last time I went shooting was around last Thanksgiving though, when I asked your dad for his blessing. I thought you hated guns though."

"Bruce hates them. I'm not the biggest fan of them, but being the daughter of a self-professed grunt turned cop, I know they're not the evil artifacts Bruce makes them out to be. I wouldn't keep one in the house, but they have a place in the right hands." Barbara said thoughtfully. "Why do you keep those guns of yours anyway? It's not like you need them for self-defense." She asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Well, aside from target shooting being a hell of a lot of fun, I keep them for hunting. I mean, I ain't been in years, but if I got to kill something for food, I don't want to use my powers. Call me weird, but that just doesn't really feel right to me." Deke explained with an almost uncomfortable look on his face. "And it certainly ain't fair either."

Barbara smiled warmly at her boy. While he'd had difficulty in explaining his position, she understood where he was coming from. "Well, I hope we're never so bad off that we need to go hunting for food, but that makes sense."

"Actually," Deke began, his hands absently sliding up and down her shins under her long skirt. "I told Ingrid I'd take her up next hunting season. She mentioned she bow hunts, and Kentucky lifted a law a couple years ago that was stopping hunters from donating meat to shelters. I figured I'd fill a couple of tags, take a bit for myself, and donate the rest."

"That's thoughtful of you, but could you maybe spare the details of how you got it, when it comes to that?" Barbara asked, relaxing from the way his hands were sliding on her smooth, toned legs. She understood where her food came from, but understanding it and getting gory details over dinner were miles apart. Her job was disturbing enough after all.

"Well sure. So, we've got a couple of hours, you maybe wanna join the Mile High club?" he asked, winking at her as his hand slid further up her skirt, his fingertips resting on her thigh.

"Cowboy, you are a truly persuasive soul, and you're offering exactly what I'd like right now, but let me counter-offer with the return trip. I've still got a lot of stuff to go over, and we both need to know the primary and backup routes we're taking." She said, though she made no move to shoo his hand from her thigh. At the moment the warmth of his touch wasn't a turn on, it was a simple affectionate comfort, and there was no good reason to put a stop to that.

"I could handle that." He said while brushing her leg with his hand. Truth be told, ever since Ash had offered to handle Babs' personal grooming, her legs had never been silkier, except maybe when she'd gotten them waxed, but he wasn't about to ask her to put herself through _that_ again. "So, homework now, lovin' later, got it. Uhm, you said this paid, by the way. I'd have done it for free, but rent's due and all."

"Oh yes, both Wayne and Queen are paying us, as well as the two security attachés meeting us at the airport. We've got rent and bills covered for the next two months easy, probably a little left over for us to go out somewhere really nice too. I hear Star City has some wonderful restaurants." Barbara said, digging her tablet out of her bag.

With a few flicks of her fingertip, Barbara cast the routing data up and onto the holographic display. "So, here's the main route, secondary routes, and the meeting points. Both companies hired private security contractors to help cover these locations, but Star City isn't so keen on having a small army of armed men wandering around, so don't expect them to do much unless they're shot at too."

Deke sat and stared at the screen, focusing intently on it, and trying to burn the image into his mind. He'd only been to Star City once, and it was during the Reach invasion, so his understanding of the city was hardly expert. "You plotted this route, didn't you?" he asked, noticing the very specific and bold color choices and clearly labeled annotations in extremely plain language.

"I did." Barbara admitted. "But I had some help from Roy to make sure everything was clean. What gave me away?"

"Your presentation style. I could spot it from a mile away." Deke said, still absently brushing her thigh with his fingertips. She finally shooed his hand away gently, before affection turned into something more carnal, but she wrapped her fingers into his when he withdrew his hand from her skirt.

"I picked that up from Tim, so don't be too sure." She replied, switching the view from a top-down satellite image to a 3D first person perspective. She then set the program to run at driving time, to give a more accurate idea of what it'd be like. "I'm assuming you're getting this?"

"Yeah, but really, you're better behind the wheel." Deke said to her, though he still focused intently.

"That's sweet of you to say, and thank you for it, but we still both need to know the routes, especially if you have to get airborne." Barbara said sweetly, coloring nicely at his compliment of her skills. "Oh, there's food on the flight, but we have to get it ourselves. Given the nature of the mission, Bruce didn't want to have a flight attendant with us."

"I should imagine not. What's on the menu?" Deke asked, his stomach already grumbling. He'd eaten a very fast breakfast consisting of two protein bars and a double sized protein shake, and while it was nutritionally solid, it wasn't the most substantial meal.

Barbara cocked her head while her eyes tilted up and to the left. "Crown roast with a wild mushroom and chestnut dressing, long grain wild rice, and grilled mixed vegetables." She said after a minute of thought.

"He's spoiling us." Deke said, wishing he had a console controller to treat the simulation like a game. It'd definitely help him memorize the route better. 

* * *

While they traveled, they chattered more, and both of them caught a two hour nap to help pass the time and keep them fresh. When they'd woken up, they ate quickly, and decided it was time to get changed into their professional clothing.

Barbara went first, after letting the pilot know they'd absolutely need their privacy. She slipped out of her long gauzy skirt and three quarter sleeve Gotham University tee shirt, tossing them into her boy's lap with a wink. He smirked and cocked an appreciative eyebrow at her, and relaxed to enjoy the show she was offering.

She was a work of art, so far as he was concerned. Taut muscles rippling as she moved beneath smooth pale skin. Her pitch black lace pattern tattoo rested on her hip, a perfectly delicate and feminine dichotomy to the warrior woman who wore it. Her breasts, just on this side of big, were supported with a European made bra (apparently it was closer to her proper size) in sheer fabric with more black lace patterning, while her round, firm bottom was garbed in matching bikini cut panties.

She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, giving her boy that mesmerizing look that she knew worked on him so well. She waited an extra beat before letting her breasts free, her gravity defying peaks ornamented with black rings. She gave them a lift and a squeeze with a sassy look on her face before sliding her panties down her legs, leaving her bare naked in front of him.

"Okay, I said we're waiting until the return trip this evening and I meant it, but given how your jeans are fitting, are you going to be able to handle the wait?" She asked, noticing the very visible effect she'd had on him. Her intelligence and physical fitness were important to her, but seeing how easily she'd brought her man to attention was certainly a nice boost to her ego.

"No. Not really." Deke said sourly, not particularly keen on sitting on his hands. The woman was one hundred percent pure desirable in every sense of the word, physically, emotionally, and mentally. He wanted every part of her, badly. "But I'll figure it out."

"I promise Cowboy, on the return trip." She said, and opened her garment bag. At first glance, her wardrobe for the day looked horribly put together, especially when she began pulling everything on. First came the most plain black g-string ever made, which she slipped on with her back to him, giving her bottom a quick shake. Then came her compression shorts, and finally, a matching sports bra. These items were her first line of wear under the uniform, but the rest was completely different.

Next came a form fitting vest, seemingly tailor made to sit perfectly against her body, with a flush series of containers which seemed to mimic her utility belt. While not the armoring in her regular costume, it was made to handle small arms and leave the wearer safe, albeit sore. Then, she fished out a pair of stockings, and propped her leg up on the couch to roll them on. "The armor really kills the mood, huh?" she asked, giving her boy a wry smirk.

"Not as much as you might think." Deke replied, readjusting the way his pants sat on his lap, for very obvious reasons. The fit had become suddenly and dramatically more snug. "You're still the hottest woman I've ever met though."

Again she blushed at his words. No matter what, she'd probably always be the beanpole nerd she'd grown up being. "You've been to Themyscira, I know you're lying."

"Nope. It'd be a dick move to call the Amazons ugly, but you really are the most beautiful woman I've ever met. It's plain truth babe. There isn't a single part of you that I don't like. You know I can see how you think. That's just as hot as what's on the outside, but I know what you feel too. I see every part of a person when I meet them, and nobody out there is more perfect than you." Deke said, seeing her getting shy with him. She'd worked her ass off building him up, and while she didn't need reaffirmation nearly as often, that didn't meant she didn't need it at all.

Going from pink to red, she batted her eyes and got back to pulling her stockings on. "I'm glad I said yes." She said quietly, giving him a soft look and a wink, feeling appropriately schoolgirlish at the moment.

"Not as glad as I am for asking." Deke replied, and brushed her leg with his fingertips, just enjoying the tactile sensation. She showed him the tip of her tongue and began pulling on the rest of her outfit. A white button down that seemed cut to fit just right, a black skirt that ended just above the knee, and a black jacket to match. She left the top button on her shirt undone, but kept it classy with a rich purple neckerchief.

"Damn girl." Deke muttered as she sat down to apply her makeup. She smiled at him again, the kind of look that would get him to do anything she wanted, and started the process of putting her 'game face' on. "My turn." He said with a determined amount of devilishness.

He rose and undressed, peeling his tee shirt off over his head, remembering to take his time. The smooth but gradual motion caused his musculature to ripple and pop. He hadn't earned most of what he had, it being a by-product of his powers, but he wore it all the same.

Barbara paused her eyeliner to take stock of her boy. His shoulders were probably her favorite part of his body. They were broad and strong, and just perfect for biting. The way they led into his pecs and trailed into his abs were certainly appealing too though; just begging for her fingernails to trace and graze. She couldn't ignore his arms though, and while they were nice to look at, more importantly, they were incredible to hold her with.

The curve of his musculature over his hips was another spot she enjoyed eyeballing, so when he undid his belt, unfastened his jeans, and let them slip, her eyes focused in, loving how the waistband of his boxer briefs drew down just enough to give her a good look at the V shape that led to his equipment. He was swinging the right tool for the job, and it was certainly just right for her, as though their bodies were precision crafted to fit one another perfectly. Still not quite old enough to really have her mind on children, she nevertheless couldn't ignore that one day, that would help give her the family she wanted to have. Until then though, it was giving her the pleasure she enjoyed.

"I feel like a piece of meat." He said with a wink, noticing her eyes drawing to his package. "It's kinda nice." She showed him the tip of her tongue again and drew her eyes lower to his legs, just as lean and muscled as the rest of him, and connected to a butt that he had no idea he had.

Those legs got slipped into a pair of black linen slacks, though he left them unfastened, instead pulling a charcoal gray button down on, his hands working to secure it in a measured pace. Once finished, he tucked his shirt in, did his pants up, and secured it with a dress belt before tossing his black suit jacket on. "How do I look?" he asked, giving her a turn.

"Like I need fresh underwear." Barbara said saucily. "In earnest though, you look amazing. You always do when you wear a suit." She punctuated the statement by standing up from the sofa and putting her hand against his intentionally scruffy cheek, before placing a long, slow kiss on him. When she pulled away, she looked at him, her deep oceanic blue eyes locking with his bottle greens.

"I love you Barbara Gordon." He said after a breath.

"I love you too Deacon O'Connelly." She replied.


	4. Chapter 4

April 10th  
Star City  
0919 PST

Stepping off of the plane, the first thing the pair noticed was the much warmer weather. Despite being mid-April, Gotham was still exceptionally chilly. Star City, while cloudy and rainy, still had a much higher temperature, something more appropriate to the early spring the United States was experiencing.

Standing on the tarmac, seemingly unfazed by the rain, stood two people in similar business attire. One of them, in a plain black suit and white shirt, was totally familiar to both of the young Gothamites. Roy Harper offered a curt nod, and nudged the person with him. Dressed in a full suit as well, though cut for her much smaller frame, stood a tanned young woman with long and unruly brown hair tied back in a quick ponytail. There was a look of mischief on her face, though the sunglasses she wore (not that they were necessary), a pair to match Roy's, helped to dial that look down a notch.

"Welcome to Star City." Roy said, offering a hand first to Barbara. They had to play the role, like they'd never met before, in the event the whole situation was being monitored by the SEC. Everything was above board and legal, but the investigation into proving it would be long, time consuming, and ultimately cause stock in both companies to hit the basement. "I'm Roy Harper, my associate is Mia Dearden."

"Thank you Mister Harper." Barbara said, sliding into the role with ease. "I'm Barbara Gordon and this is Deacon O'Connelly." Her introductions were crisp and professional, and just warm enough to look like good business.

"I guess we're supposed to hang back and shut up, huh big guy?" Mia said, stepping in uncomfortably close to Deke with an appraising look. She wasn't even trying to hide it either, tipping her glasses down to show an intense pair of brown eyes wearing an almost predatory gleam.

Deke could feel Barbara stiffen, the air around her suddenly tightening up, though she showed no outward signs of it. It seemed Aasha was the only person able to wander into what Barbara considered her territory. "Yep." He drawled simply, and slipped his own sunglasses on, tapping the power switch to them as he did.

Immediately, the image filtering software took over, effectively negating the rain from his view. Along with real-time satellite, traffic, cell phone, and ATM cameras, the view of Star City turned into a much clearer picture. In addition, the facial recognition software pinged on this Mia Dearden, though all it showed was that all records of her were sealed. _That_ was an interesting development.

"We have a secure vehicle waiting for Tarrasque, and a car for the both of you as well." Roy said, gesturing towards the three vehicles on the tarmac near the private hangar. One did indeed look quite secure, seeming more likely to be used to transport diamonds or bearer bonds, complete with some kind of setup inside to prevent foreign wireless signals. Next to it sat a pair of Audi R8's, both black with dark green trim.

"We appreciate your efforts, thank you Mister Harper." Barbara said, and nudged her boy to follow her to the armored truck, where she set her attaché in, and secured it. Behind her, all three people were keeping an eye out, scanning their environment for any sign of something amiss.

"I believe that's it." Barbara said, and watched as Roy and Mia shut the doors to the armored truck. They got into one of the cars, which made it clear which one was for Barbara and Deke.

"Step one's done." She said, sliding into the driver's seat. There was still tension in her body, he could feel it sitting this close to her, so before they all pulled out, he put his hand on hers. She turned and smiled at him, unable to show much more affection than that. "Was it that obvious?"

"Oh yeah. If it makes you feel any better, she wasn't thinking anything even a quarter as bad as what goes through Maddie's head." Deke replied. Feeling like a piece of meat to Barbara was perfectly acceptable, and in fact, something of a goal. To some strange girl barely old enough to vote, well, that was a lot less fun.

"Not really. Once this is said and done, I'll gently show her whose yard she's trying to play in." Barbara said, intentionally taking on a chauvinist tone to try and lighten the mood. The girl had no idea what his situation was, which was what kept Barbara calm. It's not like she was wearing her ring, which was safely around her neck and tucked under her armor on a simple chain.

"It's good to be loved." Deke said with a quiet chuckle as they pulled out to follow the armored truck, playing anchor point in the three vehicle convoy. "You really think this is going to get hit?"

"There's a good chance of it, yeah. Part of me kind of hopes it does, but only a small part. I'd much rather see Tarrasque get to Queen Consolidated without a hitch." Barbara said, calmly shifting gears on the high performance sports car. Being a protégé of Batman lent her certain privileges; getting to drive all manner of exciting things was one of them, but she'd never been behind the wheel of this particular machine before, and it was clear she was pleased by it.

"So, if it doesn't go smooth, what do we know about that Dearden girl? She pinged on facial recognition, but there was nothing there." Deke said, not keen on bringing the girl up again, but in this instance, it was quite necessary.

"She's clean. She works for the Green Arrow." Barbara said, her eyes still scanning traffic like a hawk.

"New Speedy?" Deke said, pushing out with his telepathic senses, listening to more of the world around him. As they drove, he could catch wisps of the thoughts of Star City's denizens. Who was happy, who wasn't. Who was cheating on their spouse, who was still afraid of coming out. Who just got accepted into college, and who just had to get their dog put down. The effort to filter that input was dramatic, but given his girl was behind the wheel, and someone else he trusted was driving the lead car in this venture, he allowed himself the chance to let his guard down in the interest of getting an early warning.

"Yeah, apparently she's good too. This is the first chance I had to meet her." Barbara replied, working through the gears in the car with a calm and practiced ease. "First impression, not so good, but these are unusual circumstances."

They drove several more blocks in relative silence, with him just listening to the outward thoughts of people around them. He'd sat down and watched Red October on Netflix a while back, and what he was doing definitely reminded him of the way the subs were portrayed. Out there and listening, trying to be the first to spot the other.

Ahead of them, in the lead car, Roy drove in similar silence. Not much to chatter, he was boring the hell out of his partner on the job. "So, do you know those two? It seemed like you were putting it on with them." She asked, breaking the unofficial moratorium on talking.

"Her yeah, him a bit." He replied tersely, wondering if this is how veterans returning from a war zone felt when trying to go anywhere back home. The sheer amount of paranoia was beginning to gnaw at him.

"What's their story? You've got to know something." Mia pried, handling the situation in her own way. It didn't mean she was any less vigilant though, her eyes working over the cityscape just as attentively. This was as much her city as it was Roy's, or Oliver's, and she knew it quite well.

"Can't say much, everyone's got their secrets. I can tell you you're barking up the wrong tree with the big guy though." Roy said, hoping to spare Mia the unholy wrath of Barbara Gordon. When Mia wanted something, she tended to blot out the entire world in order to get it, and in this case, blotting out Batgirl was a mistake she really didn't want to make.

"Is he gay? I mean, whatever, no judgement or anything, but he didn't really come off gay." Mia said, talking just as much to occupy herself and break the tension as anything else.

"No, I don't think so. He's got somebody." Roy replied, his answers still terse as he tried not to break his focus. "Can you let me drive though? This isn't a trip to the grocery store."

"Right, sure." Mia said, taking a second glance at a couple of guys smoking cigarettes on the street corner. "So, are they badasses?" she asked a couple of blocks later, causing Roy to sigh impatiently.

"Yeah, they're badass." He said, his voice growing more and more frustrated. He absently fiddled with his wedding ring, using the action as a grounding to keep him from snapping at his antecessor.

"Are they heroes, like us?" Mia said, and glanced at her partner silently counting to ten. "You know what, we're almost there, I'll shut up."

"Thank you." Roy replied, not feeling safer the closer they got to Queen Consolidated. As much as most accidents happened five miles or less from home, the same could be said for something like this. It'd take balls to hit the convoy right outside of the corporate plaza, but such bold action tended to be the most successful, as it played on the target's sense of security.

Less than five minutes later, the three vehicles pulled into the parking garage, where they were met by a massive security team, as well as a few technicians and staff scientists. The four heroes exited their cars and walked around to watch them open up the armored car.

"Wasn't there supposed to be something in there?" Mia asked, pointing out the fact that the armored car was completely empty. Immediately the entire group of people began buzzing about, moving off to perform whatever tasks they thought they were supposed to perform in the event of something like this happening. Of course, something like this wasn't supposed to happen, period, so whatever those tasks were, most of the people performing them were making them up on the fly.

Everyone except Barbara, who casually stepped into the armored truck and began looking around, the eyes behind her glasses narrowing to slits as she considered the scene. Visually, the drive containing Tarrasque was missing, as well as the Faraday cage it was sitting within. The noise generated by the crowd outside meant hearing anything out of the ordinary was right out. She sniffed the air, and then held out a hand with a single finger pointing up. Immediately, a shush fell across the gathered scene, with many of them stepping away to give her room.

Roy stepped up in the truck with her, his footsteps silent as the grave. The Bats didn't have a monopoly on stealth after all. "What is it?" he asked, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"Smell that?" she asked, pointing towards the corners of the inside of the truck. Roy leaned towards one and took a long sniff, making a puzzled face as the scent formed in his mind.

"Myrrh oil?" Roy asked, the scent bringing him back to his youth, spent in church, to a time when he had faith in a higher power and calling. "Why would that be in here?"

"Don't know, but it's a lead." Barbara said, taking a sample using her kit, and tucking it away in the belt built into her body armor. "I'll ask Zatanna if there's magic that could do this that would need Myrrh oil."

"Queen and Wayne both vetted everyone connected to this. How'd it even happen?" Mia asked, leaning her head in. "I mean, the drivers checked out, and they were selected with a random generation algorithm too. There were only ten people privy to this whole thing outside of the boards."

Barbara blinked twice and frowned. "The boards. We should look there first, but first," she said, trailing off and turning to face the parking garage. When she saw Oliver Queen standing there looking amused, she gave a wry smirk.

"Good job on the decoy." Oliver said, his hands stuffed casually into his pockets, and wearing an amused expression on his face. "Sorry, but everything had to look good."

"So Tarrasque is running?" Barbara asked. She had no way of knowing if she had been carrying the decoy or not. While she was damned good at what she did, a team of similarly skilled programmers working specifically to ferret out tracking code that were going to find it, so she didn't bother trying. Satisfying her ego and curiosity didn't warrant the waste of time. It would likewise be hours if not days before the Trojan she'd written would come online and tell her where the decoy was being used.

"It's been running for three days, but besides myself and Bruce Wayne, only three other people knew it. I'm so sorry for the obfuscation, but we both agreed that somebody was going to try something." Oliver said with a sheepish expression. He had to play an extremely tight role too. Mustang didn't know who he was, and Mia didn't know who Bruce Wayne was.

"Thanks for that." Roy said sourly. "We'll handle things here and get out of your hair then."

"I appreciate it. Look, I really do feel bad about having to deceive you all, so on behalf of Queen Consolidated, I'd like to offer you a weekend here in Star City. It's the least I can do." He said, not at all looking like the CEO of one third of the most powerful private economic forces in the United States.

"Thank you Mister Queen." Barbara said primly, risking a sidelong glance at her boy, who was just leaning against a concrete pillar, looking naked without his hat to tip over his eyes. When she winked at him, he returned the gesture. Her mind was going to several places at once. Some fun, some exciting, some romantic, and she wanted to do it all.

"Yessir, thank you." Deke said, using his shoulders to push himself off the pillar. His stride carried him to where the more investigative minded people had been doing their thing. Watching the entire scene unfold, in the eyes of a psychic, was nothing short of trippy. Barbara's mind, electric as always, fired off in orderly, but fast sequences, with the occasional leap. Mia, much like Aasha, thought in pictures, though she seemed to want to grasp for the most out-there ideas first before sorting through it to find something more reasonable. Roy was hyper-focused, as though he was a bullet train, pushing every individual idea to their limit before moving along.

What was most interesting, is that's exactly how Oliver Queen thought as well. There was definitely going to be some conversation about that later, as several disparate pieces of a puzzle began falling into place.


	5. Chapter 5

April 10th  
Star City  
1130 PST

"Holy shit." Deke muttered, his drawl dragging the words out into an unnecessary number of syllables. There was no other reaction though, for the place Queen Consolidated had set them up in. Sitting just outside of Star City, but near enough to the highway to make a straight shot to the corporate plaza, the guest housing was nothing short of impressive.

Built in a classic Pacific Northwest style, with wide open windows and sharp angles framed with deep wood and local stone, tall vaulted ceilings and a wide open floor plan, the guest house was absolutely magnificent. Barbara echoed the sentiment and stepped fully inside, looking up and taking in a slow turn.

"Cowboy, this is beautiful." She said, ending her turn to look at her boy with a smile, before stepping into his arms. "This sits on several acres of private land you know."

"I think I'm picking up what you're laying down darlin'." Deke replied, placing a kiss on his beloved. "I kinda hate it's only for the weekend." He added, giving her a simple dancer's twirl to put here where he wanted her, so that he could pick her up. She giggled and nuzzled into him before returning a kiss to him on his cheek.

"So, since you picked me up, you think I was just laying down? Is that it?" She asked with a devilish look. He snickered at her and carried her further into the guest house. "There's a fireplace too. Babe, I have to be honest, I can see three fantasies of mine already."

"So, the convoy getting hit isn't souring you?" Deke asked, gambling that she had something in mind already, or had put something into place before they'd left the corporate plaza. He hoped deep in his heart that that was the case. Since they'd first gone to bed together, she'd taken it upon herself to go out of her way for him, and while he was certain he knew what to do _to_ her, he was less clear on what to do _for_ her. Having that opportunity to properly indulge the most important person in his life was a priority.

"No, it isn't. The convoy was never really our problem, making a show of things was; we did this as a favor for Bruce. I mean, if Green Arrow wants help, I brought my gear and I know you did too, but he seemed interested in solving this in his own house." Barbara explained, lightly stepping out of his arms to explore the place on her own two feet. She took her boy's hand and walked down the hallway of the one-story house, looking for the bedroom.

Turning right into the first room, she stepped into it just far enough to let her boy in behind her. Sitting there, with a full wall window on the left was a king sized bed with hunter green sheets and thick, plush matching comforter. "Oh we're getting spoiled." She said, turning to look at Deke with an excited look on her face. "Come on!" she said, tugging his hand and pulling him to the bed.

The two of them flopped down on the plush bed and rolled up into one another, becoming an entangled mess of limbs and lips and hair and giggles. "I've missed you so much lately." She said sweetly, rubbing noses with him after a long kiss. "With everything going on, it's like we're two ships in the night sometimes."

"Yeah, that's not wrong." Deke said, feeling the warmth of her body and just wanting to soak it all in. "We're making the world a better place though, that's what I keep telling myself."

Nuzzling him, as Barbaras are wont to do, she inhaled deeply of his scent. "If we stay like this, I'm going to have a nap whether I like it or not." She said, putting a hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat. "So, if you have something in mind, now might be a good time to make that happen."

The rumbling in his stomach indicated his answer pretty handily. Snickering at the sudden and rather aggressive noises coming from his stomach, all Deke could do was shake his head and smile. "Babe, if you want a nap, you take a nap and don't let anything stop you. I can eat later."

"It's not whether I want a nap or not, it's that it's going to happen." She said, extricating herself from him reluctantly. "And I don't know where the bathroom is, so waking up from said nap might make life unpleasant."

"Good call." Deke replied thoughtfully. "Maybe in there?" he said, pointing to a door opposite the panoramic window. With a shrug, Barbara got out of the bed and poked her head into the room, and nodded, before flicking a light on.

"Oh Cowboy, you have _got_ to see this." She said, beckoning him with a gesture. When he joined her at the doorway, he could see why she'd been so insistent. Like the rest of the place, the bathroom was opulent, with a tub they could both fit in, and a shower he could probably lay down in. It reminded him of the suite in Monte Carlo, but less _rich_. The off-white tile and green backsplash coupled with the shiny chrome fixtures was probably very expensive, but it didn't feel that way. Instead, it was more inviting, more home-feeling, which was probably the intent all along.

"Okay, so, new plan," he said upon fully taking everything in. "We get a quick lunch and go for a hike in the woods outside. Then, we come back here and give each other a good scrub down and a soak, catch a quick snooze, and then have dinner by the fire. How's all that sound?"

Barbara turned to look at her boy. "I like the way you're thinking mister." She said, inwardly pleased at him. While she didn't particularly mind being the one in charge of figuring out what they were going to do when given the free time, it was nice seeing him step up a little and make some suggestions. "Now, about this lunch thing?"

"We passed a grocery store on our way up, I wouldn't mind showing the kitchen who's boss." Deke suggested.

"We were given access to the concierge service. When he said it was on the company, he meant it, babe. You were right there when the owner of the company said it too." Barbara said with an amused but patient expression. The whole time Oliver had been talking to them, he'd been standing right there looking at him, presumably listening.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Deke said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I was spacing out. I think I figured something out that I wasn't supposed to."

Barbara blinked at her boy before flashing him a sweet smile. "What do you think you figured out?" she asked, taking his hand and guiding him back through the bedroom and into the main living space so she could sort out this lunch thing.

"I was watching you think again, you know, for science." Deke began, not sure if he should even voice this or not, and love her heart she just kept that patient, sweet look on her face. "And I caught a look at everybody else, and Roy and Oliver, they're scary similar in thought process. Like, as close as Bruce and Dick."

"You're detective-ing Cowboy, keep going." Barbara said, encouraging her boy. She absolutely delighted in seeing him puzzle a thing out, feeling like that was a positive influence she'd had on him. "Find the logical conclusion."

"Well, same as Batman, Green Arrow has gadgets and gear, not powers. That stuff ain't cheap. Plus Queen Consolidated having green as a primary color in their logo, and the same goatee." Deke said, sitting on the barstool next to the kitchen island. "So, I suppose the conclusion is, I think I figured out who Green Arrow is."

Barbara smiled at her boy and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Good job." She said with a cryptic smile, before pulling her phone out.

She winked as she opened her contacts list and hit send, waiting on the call to connect. "Bruce," she said after a short pause. "Yeah, you win the bet. Yep, less than an hour." She said with an easy grin. "Really? Okay, of course, thank you. Talk to you later, bye."

"You just won Bruce a bet. He'd been nagging Oliver for years to do more to conceal his identity. When they decided to have us come out and help, Bruce might have made a bet with him that you'd have him figured out in no time." She said, sitting on the stool next to her boy.

"So, wait a minute, was this some kind of thing where Bruce was all 'I bet that dumbass hick can figure you out.' Or was it more of a 'This guy isn't even detective trained and I bet he'll put two and two together.'? I gotta be honest, I don't know how I feel about that." Deke said, his mood growing stormy.

"No Cowboy, it wasn't like that." Barbara explained hastily. "Definitely the latter, why would you even think that?" she asked, puzzled. He'd started out shy and unsure of himself, but he'd grown leaps and bounds in the three years they'd been together. This behavior was well out of character for him.

Deke frowned and took in a breath before he answered her. "I dunno babe, I think it's school doin' it to me. Xeno anatomy and pathology is a damn nightmare, it's got me feeling a hell of a lot dumber." He explained, rubbing his temples. "But, this is spring break, so how's about you and I enjoy it instead?"

"I would very much like that. We passed a Thai restaurant on our way up, and I haven't had Thai food in forever. What do you think?" She asked, a bit of bounce in her words. She was so adorable when she wasn't paying attention to herself.

"I think I need to get my shoes back on." Deke said, reaching out to his beloved and beckoning the keys to the company car they were given use of. It was a shame they had to return the R8, he'd looked forward to driving it.

April 10th  
Star City  
1425 PST

"You let me eat too much again." Barbara said, walking along the trail that led from their guest house into the rainforest the Pacific Northwest was so well known for. As could be expected, a light, warm rain was drizzling on them as they hiked, their pace slow after a surprisingly filling lunch.

"Darlin', you say that like I can tell you what to do or something." Deke retorted as he stepped onto a massive tree root. He turned to offer his girl a hand, which she used to leverage herself up onto the base of the large tree. He took the time to take a good look at her as she stepped up with that same smooth grace in which she did everything. Dressed in a cropped black tee shirt and a short skirt, she was looking incredibly sexy, especially in the warm rain.

"You can, if it's reasonable." Barbara explained as she took the time to soak in the view. Absently, she brushed an errant lock of hair out of her face and just inhaled the primal world. "Reminding me not to eat so much before a hike we planned is well within reasonable."

"Noted." Deke said, joining her in taking in the view. The forest here was absolutely nothing like it was back home. Where he'd grown up, there were mighty oaks mingled with the pines, but here, it was so much more vivid and green, and so much more grown. The whole forest seemed so much more massive and vibrant. "So, while we're out here, we might want to go over some stuff before everyone nags us to death."

"You're right." She said, sitting down on the long tree root. "What's everyone bugging you about?" she asked, setting her feet to swinging. When he sat down next to her, she instinctively slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze.

"Oh sheesh, might be easier to ask what they're not nagging about. Ash is chomping at the bit to be a bridesmaid, Ingrid wants to know your measurements so she can make your dress, Liho is terrified he won't be able to find a tux that fits, and Mads, well, she's already wanting to get a cake tasting and a caterer's tour happening."

"So, mostly the same stuff I'm getting. I'm trying to balance out my bridesmaids with your groomsmen, so we need to arrive at the magic number. Who were you picking anyways?" She asked, genuinely curious. He hadn't said much about it.

"Liho's my best man, pure and simple. I was gonna ask Kris, Tim and Dick too, but I thought that was way too many. Is it too many?" he asked, brushing that same recalcitrant lock of hair out of her face.

"Oh no, not at all. That gives me three bridesmaids to work with. Ash is definitely in, and Artemis is my Maid of Honor, but I've been fortunate to make several friends. Cassie, M'gann, Karen, Zee, Raquel, and now that Bette's in the life, she might wind up pulling double duty for the civil ceremony as well as the bigger one. Then there's Black Canary too, she's been a valuable part of my life." Barbara said, trying to illustrate where her frustration and lack of motivation was stemming from.

"I get it, that's gotta be a mess. I wasn't joking about Ingrid though, she really does want to make your dress. It's kinda her thing, making stuff." Deke said, pulling her close to him, relishing the feeling of her body pressing into his.

"Cowboy, we've got a couple of years, I doubt she needs to know right this minute." Barbara said, turning her head around and licking the tip of his nose. The sudden surprise of it caused him to shake his head and make a face while he tried to sort out what had just happened.

When he was able to recover his thoughts, he continued where he'd left off, though he was planning deviltry in the back of his mind. "She needs to know so she knows what she has to plant, to harvest the material, to weave into fabric, to make the thing. She wasn't just ordering fabric, she was going to bottom up the whole thing. If she needs silk, she wants to get the worms and have a place for them to live."

"Woah, wow, okay, that's dedication. I'd feel guilty telling her no now." Barbara said, shocked at the revelation. She barely knew the girl and she was getting offered to have her dress made in the entirety of the old fashioned ways. It made sense she'd need to know now though. "I'll talk to her the next time I'm in the Hacienda."

"She's pretty awesome that way." Deke concurred. "And she specifically said she'd figure out ways to make sure you can fight in it too. She was very adamant about that."

"That's really thoughtful." Barbara said before taking her boy's face in her hands and stealing a long, slow kiss from him. "Wedding talk is important, but here we are in the wilderness, just me and you, let's not worry about anything else right now." She said after releasing his lips. The soft, gentle tone she'd taken with him spoke clearly as to how much she wanted the intimacy, but also spoke to where she was prioritizing things with their private life.

"You are a spellbinding soul Barbara." He said, and leaned back into her for another kiss, this time taking control, putting a hand behind her head and another at the small of her back. She reciprocated, making a small happy noise in her throat. This is what she wanted, and fate was kind enough to give her the time to have it.


	6. Chapter 6 (¡Dios Mio! ¡Es un limón!)

April 10th  
Star City  
1455 PST

While she enjoyed locking lips with her boy, Barbara was very quickly realizing that their somewhat precarious perch on a long tree root would present some complicated lovemaking. While flexible as hell and possessing excellent balance, acrobatic sex was not on her to-do list at the moment. No, she wanted something more primal and honest. There was plenty of time to show off later.

"Look there." She said, pointing just down the trail a few yard away. "That looks perfect." She said to Deke. He hated breaking their kiss, but she'd spotted a downed tree that looked just the right height to prop up against in more than one way. One thing about his girl that nobody could argue, she was a genius.

She was about to hop down, but squealed delightedly when he reached around and slipped one arm behind her and the other under her knees, and just took off, flying them there in a nice, easy fashion. "Showoff." She said, kissing him on the nose. He might not have been perfectly reading her mind, but he was definitely listening, because his landing put him sitting against the tree and her on top of him.

Returning to their kiss with a quiet snicker, she couldn't help but wrap her hands up in his hair. It was only fair, as he did the same to her. The feeling of his fingertips against her scalp, strong but loving, while their lips were crushed together was doing wonderful, beautiful things for her. So much so that she couldn't help but break the kiss to start nibbling against his neck, just to move things along. They had all the time in the world, but there was taking it slow, and getting too bogged down in the pre-game.

Absently, his hands wandered, as Deke's hands did when Barbara was perched on top of him, nibbling his neck and grinding her hips. Her shirt, slick with rain, clung to her like a second skin, which was one layer of skin too many. He pushed his senses out to their limit, looking for thoughts within his range, and when he was satisfied they were alone, he peeled her shirt off of her. As a testament to her forethought, she hadn't bothered with a bra, so when he finally got the fitted shirt off of her, it left her bare to him.

The beads of rain began collecting on her breasts, with one drop trickling down the curvature of her left, to rest precariously on the tip of her nipple. "Godamn." He muttered before pushing against her shoulders, causing her to lean back enough to give him easier access to them.

She cooed softly when she felt the warmth of his mouth against her peak, the sudden change from cool to hot triggering her drive into a higher gear. Discontent to just straddle him and have her nipples played with, despite enjoying it, she grabbed at the hem of his shirt and began tugging it up. He let off of her long enough to let her tug it free, and snickered his own self when she all but tossed it off the trail.

"You're hot, Cowboy." She said with lust in her eyes. "I don't say it enough, but you are." she added, pausing him from returning to the rather lovely attention he was giving her breasts.

"You're hotter." He replied, though the bright red in his cheeks told her what he didn't say with words. "And you say it plenty enough for me."

She smiled warmly and went back to kissing and nibbling his neck and shoulders, all the while still grinding on him. It was readily plain and clear that he was just as interested in what they were doing as she was, so she set about the task of undoing his pants as well. This, she did more slowly. The need for skin on skin contact was urgent, but once she'd gotten that, she was able to relax a bit more.

Deke let his hands wander lower. He loved getting a handful of her bottom, so round and firm. More than that, the way her muscles rippled and moved as her hips rolled, that particular sensation was just awe-inspiring. It wasn't her breasts that drew his eyes to her. That was wrong, they did, just slightly bigger than a handful, perfectly round and symmetrical, and capped with small, ornamented nipples, they were attention grabbing. It wasn't her legs that got him staring. Well, that was wrong too, long, shapely, and perfectly toned, they were remarkable. It wasn't her butt that got him. Okay, this was getting old, yes, her butt was magnificent too, as was every single part of her, but the point was this, and simply this. These features, while certainly attractive, were nothing more than a beautiful cover for the dangerous, confident, and oh so perfectly put together woman that he called his own.

"You're going derpy already babe." Barbara said breathlessly. She'd been working herself up something fierce while he grabbed at her bottom, and he hadn't even noticed the best part.

"Sorry." He said, shaking his head free of his lusty musings. He gave another squeeze to her backside and that's when he realized what he was dealing with. "No panties." He observed with a wink.

"They'd just get in the way." She said, finally releasing his tool from the shed, as it were. He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his shorts and scooted them down. As soon as he had, she grasped him, feeling the heat of him in her hand, and moved to guide him into her, right where she wanted him.

"Wait." He said, when she'd only just trailed the tip of him across her already dewy petals. When she gave him a curious look, he smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. It had taken them an exceptionally long time to entangle their minds together the first time he'd done it, but practice, and an ever increasing familiarity with her, made it so much quicker and cleaner.

Barbara smiled and closed her eyes, letting her psyche sail into his. The first time had been a crash, now, it was a long and comfortable embrace. That same flash of fire still happened though, the fusion of the two of them into that beautiful luminous being. It was a nuclear reaction of pure emotional want, and need. Love distilled to its most pure.

Once she felt her heartrate balance, she smiled, and began lowering herself onto him. The pressure he exerted on her inner walls was perfect, filling her exactly to the brim, no more, no less. She let out a long, slow exhale through the motion, her voice barely above a whisper until she'd taken him to his full. Barbara murmured her approval and took his face in her hand, kissing him deeply as she began rocking atop him.

To Deke, the feeling was no less incredible. Her body welcomed him, warm and perfectly slick, and he felt all the richer for the opportunity, which he signaled with a shiver of pleasure as goosebumps made their way up his arms. He gripped her bottom as they moved together, letting her set what appeared to be a torturously slow pace.

She rose no more than halfway off of him as she rocked, not wanting to release any more than that, and indeed, she'd sought a slow pace. She wanted to feel every millimeter of his shaft dragging just right within her, scratching every single itch she had. Forcing her eyes open, she pulled away from his lips again and arched her back, putting her hands on his shoulders to support herself. They locked eyes as she rode him, his lips turning up into an easy smile to match the bliss in his eyes.

They were reflections of hers, of course. She'd struggled every time they'd made love while linked, trying desperately to find the conclusion as it always seemed just barely out of reach. She'd been waiting on him to link them again so she could try a new approach, and while she was genuinely pleased he'd waited so long since the last time, as when that climax did it, it was so powerful, she was all the same happy he'd chosen to do so this time.

Between them, he could feel this new attitude of hers, just as acutely as she could feel his intense need of her. Pulling her closer to his torso just to feel her breasts pressed against his chest, he began giving as good as he took, nibbling along her neck and shoulders while getting a free hand good and involved with her hair.

"God this is beautiful." She called out several long, slow, agonizingly incredible minutes later. The fire within her had been slowly stoking into a gradual inferno from the delicious friction of his shaft within her. He glanced up at her ocean blue eyes, her pupils dilated but the look within them clear. Sweat had begun to form on her body to join the raindrops, leaving more trails to follow her perfect curvature.

"You make it that way." He said breathily, sliding a hand up her thigh to encourage her to wrap her legs around him. Sensing his desire for a position change, and feeling a bit tired anyway, she let herself get steered the way he was looking, and found herself pressed up against the fallen tree. The rough bark, worn smooth by the northwest rains, dragged against her skin, matching the friction within her sex. She felt him rise to his feet, carefully so to remain within her, and once there, he grasped her hips (she _loved_ it when he did) and began working into her, dialing in to the exact pace she wanted.

The nature of their link meant that, as he pulled out only to push back in, he was able to hit that exact note she was looking for, because it wasn't just her pace, but his. She tossed an arm over her eyes to keep the rain out, but her mouth, open in quiet panting breath, caught plenty of the clean rainwater.

That same rain trailed in tiny rivulets to mingle with her sweat as her abdominal muscles expanded and contracted, her body still trying desperately to reach the climax she was trying to just let happen on its own. Her breath matched that motion, causing her breasts to rise and fall in a hypnotic pattern.

He slid one hand up and against her stomach as she used her free hand to grasp at her breast, he instinctively seeking the other. Together, they kneaded the firm but pliable skin that made up her bust, tweaking and squeezing her nipples just to her liking. Again, because of their link, that same stimulation was experienced by him, which was both peculiar and enjoyable all at once.

They moved together still, under the canopy of the rainforest, her voice ever so gradually rising from quiet panting to soft whimpers. She wanted to take over again, and so she leaned up without so much as a finger to help push her from an arched back position, to grab onto him and latch close, locking her ankles together around his back. Just as she'd instinctively moved for him, he moved for her, and let her bear him to the ground. The cool, wet soil cushioned his back and body as he hit the ground in a controlled drop, and the moment the motion stopped, she was right back to it.

He watched, as best he could, as she began burning brighter. She tossed her rainsoaked hair, causing droplets to fly off in a spray as she began riding him faster, the urgency of the moment overtaking her. That inferno within and between them both had grown to a near cataclysmic event. Still, she whimpered softly, so unlike her usually vocal self, in a mix of growing frustration and pure pleasure.

Her pace picked up quickly as she rocked atop him, causing her breasts to bounce. As much as he loved the sight of it, he could feel their completion still eluding them. Grabbing hold of her again, he rolled in the dirt, putting her back against the ground, and drove into her. He was propped up with only one hand, using the other to clutch her to his body. She responded by wrapping her arms and legs around him, and without fail, her fingernails found his back as quickly as her teeth found his shoulders.

She dug in as he drove into her, feeling across their link how he loved the feeling of her sex, so hot and slippery and inviting. Her whimpers turned into whines as that bright fusion reaction became a critical mass. She could feel it ready to burst within her, and she didn't need the link to know he felt the same, the way the arm holding her to him was gripped so tightly. She kept her ankles locked, trying to pull all of him within her, hoping and praying that's what would let it happen, but that wasn't necessary.

Time seemed to slow for her, one single raindrop falling to splash lightly on her hand, when that reaction went live. A single pulse rocked her body, big, bold, and wide, sending her into involuntary muscle contractions. She was aware she was making some kind of noise, but only vaguely, as the first wave was followed by the flush of heat. She felt him fire off within her, the pulsing of his shaft so clear through the tightness of the grip her sex had on him, mingling with her pleasure perfectly, causing that self-sustaining cycle to begin. Every tremor and aftershock that caught her as she sailed among the stars hit him, causing him to twitch in reaction, which fueled her further, keeping them going well beyond what most normal (sane?) people called appropriate for orgasm.

Minutes, hours, she wasn't sure, but they passed as she fought and struggled to regain control of her own rebellious body. "You squeaked." Deke said in a muddled tone, trying to gulp oxygen into his body, simultaneously trying to get over the feeling of his limbs going numb.

"Wha?" Barbara asked, similarly addlepated, well beyond anything she'd experienced with him before. So much so that she was still experiencing small tremors within her sex. "Huh?"

"You didn't scream, you squeaked." He repeated himself, only just now beginning to withdraw from her. She frowned slightly and involuntarily at losing the connection with him. Gradually, they separated themselves at the mind as well. Still, they laid there for several minutes longer, resting after the exceptionally long and intense lovemaking.

"So what if I did?" She asked, trying to sound sassy. It didn't work, but she didn't care. To cover it, she began fumbling about for her shirt, though she regretted it the moment she pulled it on, the wet fabric near ice-cold, guaranteeing her still stiff peaks would remain that way for a good while longer.

"Nothin'." Deke muttered. "I don't think I can hike back. You?" he asked, just now tucking himself back into his shorts. She sat there with that beautifully thoughtful look she got for a minute, before shaking her head.

"No. I uh, I think I'm raw." She said, beginning to feel the dull stinging within her sex.

It was his turn to question her. "Wha?" he asked, looking around for his shirt. She'd tossed it good, that much was clear.

"Well, if I must speak plainly, my lady parts are sore Cowboy, I loved you too long." She said, showing him the tip of her tongue. "How long were we doing it?"

Deke glanced at his watch as he finally brought himself to his feet. "An hour." He said. "And a half, of pure sex, no breaks, no playing around beforehand."

"You're a liar Marshall Deacon." Barbara accused, though when she remembered she had her own, she double checked, leaving her wide eyed. "Or, not. Wow, no wonder I'm exhausted. And cold, very, _very_ cold."

Deke nodded. "Yeah, we're going to turn into hero-sicles." He said, finally spotting his shirt. He made a beckoning gesture to it, and let it sail into his grasp. Barbara had risen with him, and began brushing the dirt off his back.

"Fly us home?" she asked, flashing him a bright smile, though her bottom lip had begun quivering, somewhat detracting from the effect. Between that, her quite running makeup, and the way her wet hair hung limp around her face, he couldn't possibly say no. Plus, he was feeling it just as acutely, his shoulders quivering in an attempt to bring more heat into his body.

"Always." He said, picking her up and bringing them a few feet aloft before sailing along up the empty trail.


	7. Chapter 7

April 10th  
Star City  
1640 PST

Stripped bare and wrapped in a towel that had no business being that fluffy and soft, Barbara stood watching her boy try to figure out the shower. She couldn't suppress a giggle, and finally put a hand on his shoulder. He leaned out of her way, and let her use the digital temperature and shower head setting, effectively programming it.

When she hit the on button, the ceiling mounted showerhead and four of the side mounted began spraying water. Within seconds, the massive shower stall began filling with steam. "Oh yes." Barbara said happily, setting her towel aside and stepping in. Deke was right behind her, shutting the door once he was in with her.

"Oh God this is perfect." She cooed happily, once the hot water struck her cold body. The warmth chased the chill away in short order, leaving her aching muscles soothed. "Kiss me Cowboy." She requested sweetly, turning to look up at him with her beautiful blue eyes.

"Well, if I have to." Deke drawled, pulling her towards him by her hips and placing a slow kiss on his beloved. She replied in like, playfully so, ending her kiss with little pecks and a nibble on his lip. "You're in a good mood." He observed with a smile, reaching for her shampoo.

"It was nice, aches and pains in uncomfortable places notwithstanding. Besides, that was a very particular fantasy of mine, I'm glad it got to happen." She said, turning around to give him access to her hair. If he was willing to wash it, she was willing to let him.

"That's what I like hearing darlin'. You're all the time doing things, making it interesting, and I kinda felt like I wasn't holding my end of it up, so this is good news." He said while working her wildflower scented shampoo into her hair.

"You hold up just fine baby. I'll let you in on a secret, almost every single time I do something outside of the usual, I just decided to try it maybe an hour or two beforehand. Besides, you always play along. I don't think you've ever told me no when I get a notion." Barbara said, luxuriating in the feeling of his fingertips on her scalp.

"Well, it's not like you've cooked up anything that turns me off. You like role playing and dressing up, and let's be honest, we're superheroes; if that turned me off, there'd be a problem." Deke said, not missing her rubbing her bottom into his crotch. Some of the shampoo had dripped off her head and ran down her back, leaving the cleft of her backside slippery. He was nearly as sore in his own equipment, but the feeling was more entertaining than erotic. Apparently she seemed to think so if her giggle was any indication.

"You're not wrong Cowboy." She said, already feeling so much more relaxed. "Do you have any fantasies you haven't gotten fulfilled?"

That gave him a reason to ponder, which he did while continuing to massage her scalp. "Well, I dunno. I mean, I get to have you on a pretty regular occasion, and now and again Ash plays with us. I don't know that I have any reason to ask for anything else."

"You _get_ to have me? You make sleeping with me sound like some kind of rare privilege." Barbara said, feeling his hands on her shoulders gently guiding her into spinning around to rinse her hair out.

"Well yeah, it is." Deke said matter-of-factly. "I mean, you're perfect. I still think you're so far out of my league it ain't funny."

"Deacon." Barbara said with a glare. "What did we discuss about using that phrase?"

"That you'd rather get punched in the vag by Wonder Woman than hear me say it." Deke replied, almost by rote. "Sorry, but you know how I feel. That's actually a fantasy of mine, since you asked, not the getting punched by Wonder Woman, but being able to, I dunno, _experience_ someone like you. It's my oldest one, but it's fulfilled."

Barbara smiled bashfully as he set her shampoo down and grabbed the conditioner. "Okay, that was way sweeter than I thought it'd be. Still though, there's gotta be something in there that you want." She said, softly tapping his temple.

"Well, we've tied each other up a couple times, we've made more porno than we really should've. I've seen you with another woman. I'm not into power games. Well, wait, I guess I might be." He said thoughtfully, an idea coming to him.

"Better tell Aasha, she's been waiting to hear that." Barbara said with a snicker. "What is it though?"

"Well, I feel embarrassed saying it now." He argued as he began applying conditioner to her hair, loving the way it turned her hair so slick and smooth. "But, I wanna be your hero."

"Baby, you _are_ my hero; both figuratively _and_ literally. You were there before anyone else when Hush got the better of me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Barbara said, not sure what he meant. He was certainly a hero, and he was certainly hers. He'd saved her from a lonely life too.

"Not like that," He said, his voice small and edging dangerously close to his old shyness. "It's weird, because I don't want it to happen, but I wanna rescue you, like the movies."

She smiled softly at that. One, because of just how genuinely endearing his tone was in saying it, two, because he didn't want to actually have to. Without ever saying it, she'd made it perfectly clear she didn't keep him around as her personal white knight, as that was something she just plain wasn't interested in. All the same, she understood his desire to be that hero. All the stories involved the hero swooping in, saving the day, and getting the girl. She wasn't a prize to be won though, but he never treated her like that.

Thinking about it too long wasn't such a wise idea at that moment in time though, so she switched gears to get him thinking elsewhere. "So, is this still a sexual fantasy?" she asked, grabbing his three-in-one while her conditioner sat.

"I mean, it turns into one pretty quick, yeah." He said with that beautiful derpy grin. One benefit of this massive shower was the bench, which he sat on to give her an easy time with his hair. She ran her fingers through it, noticing it was halfway down his back now. "But it's more than that, y'know?"

"I don't _know_ , but I do understand." Barbara said, squirting some of his shampoo into her hand and working it into his hair. She'd gotten a little extra, which she used to clean out the rather impressive scratches she'd left on him. With the tan he tended to keep thanks to his team having a base in Florida, she could see the faint lines of her previous handiwork, crisscrossing his shoulders like a roadmap. Each line, each fine scar was a testament to how well he loved her. As much as she admonished him for acting like she was out of his league, he was just as disappointed in her when she said she felt like a bitch for ripping him up the way she did.

"You're dwelling." He said, though his tone wasn't unhappy, more reminding her to focus on better things.

"Sorry." She said sweetly. "We're both guilty I suppose."

"Yeah, and by the way, you know Ash has been racking her brains trying to figure out how to make you scratch and bite her, right?" Deke pointed out, hoping that wasn't something the girl wanted kept secret. She hadn't acted like it was but that didn't keep him from worrying.

"Really? I mean, it's not easy seeing as how we have to position ourselves to have fun, definitely puts the shoulder and back out of reach. I suppose there's toys but that doesn't seem like her style, being dominant like that." Barbara mused. "I can do it, but I'll need your help, as if you'd mind."

"Let's hear it." Deke said, his voice far away as she scrubbed his hair. He grabbed his bottle and got some for himself, scrubbing his whole body down while he sat there. With a gesture, he turned the much easier to operate faucet on the hot tub on, letting it fill while they finished up with the actual cleaning.

"If I'm on top, and she's over your face with her back to me, it'd give me a reason." Barbara said, the idea formulating quite vividly in her mind. She had to approach it almost clinically; she was probably closed for business for the rest of the evening.

"You're right, I don't mind at all." Deke said with a snicker. Really, who would? Sure, there were those that would if one went looking hard enough, but that wasn't the case at the moment.

"I noticed you _did_ mind playing a bit rougher with her." Barbara said, finishing scrubbing his head for him. She rose with him and got under the water, rinsing her hair out, and very much enjoying him taking that time to scrub her down as well, loving the way his hands felt on her skin when soap and water was involved.

"Yeah, I don't fully understand how that gets her off. I mean, that's definitely not you." He said, enjoying his task as much as she did, loving the way her stomach felt under his fingertips. He had to break away from that to make sure her breasts were similarly clean, and he used that opportunity to give a quick exam, she was due for one in a week or so anyway.

"No, I don't much get turned on by the idea of you choking me. Is that a deal breaker for you though? If it is, then we need to be up front with her." Barbara said, absently twisting the rings in her nipples to clean then as well.

"No, we talked after you ended the call. I'm okay putting my hand against her neck when she's feeling that kinda frisky. Symbolic I suppose, and she kinda maneuvers herself into positions that work for her. Do you choke her?" he asked, that question coming out of left field.

"I did once, right after she told me she was into it. It really didn't do anything for me, but she loved it, and I know how not to hurt her so I kept it up. I'm just glad she's not into humiliation, because that _would_ be a deal breaker for me. Even in play I just can't do that to someone." Barbara said, spinning with him to rinse his hair out now that hers was clean.

"No, I totally get that." Deke said. "Fat kid, remember?"

"Beanpole Babs, tits ran away, got no ass so the boys won't play." Barbara recited sourly. "Trust me, yes, we both get that."

"You never said you got teased _that_ bad. You just said you were a late bloomer." Deke said, saving her the reach and getting the last of his hair rinsed. He scratched his cheek absently and realized it was about time for a shave too.

She nodded. "I didn't want you to feel marginalized so I never mentioned it, but we're getting married and all so, yeah. There's another one involving a two by four but if it's all the same I wouldn't mind keeping that one buried."

"Say no more. I bet that tub's filled up now." Deke said, his turn to switch gears on her. He could feel the old sadness radiating off of her, pent up tightly. She couldn't possibly walk up and face her tormentors and say she was Batgirl and they could suck it; much like he couldn't just go back to school and kick the ass of everyone who bullied him.

"That's a much better plan, yeah." She said, turning the shower off. Together, the slipped out of the massive stall and slipped into the swimming pool masquerading as a hot tub. "Now this, yes, all of this. I know you wanted to have dinner by the fire but how about in here instead?"

"I'd love to, but put yourself in the shoes of the inevitable delivery driver." Deke said, picturing exactly how that would go down.

"Damn." She muttered. "Okay, dignity and common courtesy win out. Speaking of dinner though, what sounds good? I can't make up my mind."

"Oh Hell, here's a fight happening." Deke said sarcastically. "You said there's a concierge service available?"

"Yes I did. Make them pick for us?" Barbara asked, finding it a suitable compromise. She leaned back, sinking further into the tub, and rested her feet on her boy's chest, booping him on the nose with a toe.

"Yeah, or deliver something that doesn't have delivery. Can we ask them to do that?" He said, taking one of her feet and rubbing it. She cooed happily, not looking for a footrub but not exactly turning it down either.

"Ollie's words were exactly 'As a guest of Queen Consolidated, you're welcome to take advantage of the company's concierge service.' And having been around Bruce when he's in playboy mode, asking them to bring us food is by no means anywhere near the strangest thing they've been asked, I'm certain." She said a bit dreamily. "I've been a good girl lately, right?"

"Is this a sex thing or not?" He asked with a wink.

"Oh, I know for a fact I've been a _bad girl_." She said with a coquettish bat of her eyes. "But I meant as far as diet and exercise go."

"Yeah, actually. They'll never get the smell of baked fish and chicken out of the walls." Deke said, still just casually rubbing her feet. What was it with her and Ash, both of them sticking their feet in his face? He didn't care at all, but he also didn't understand.

"Okay, I want pasta. I've earned a plate of it. There's got to be an Italian place around here." She said, picturing that giant plate of carbs, threatening to make her sleep a week from the goodness. "Speaking of Ash though." Barbara said, letting her words trail.

"You miss her, don't you?" Deke asked, still casually rubbing her feet. When she looked at him, he winked, which drew the tip of her tongue out of her mouth.

"Yeah, I really do actually. Is that inappropriate, do you think? Are we in too deep with her?" Barbara asked. It took her a bit too long to make that statement, as her boy had hit a spot on her foot that absolutely needed the attention, and it had left her feeling a little derpy herself.

"I don't think so, no." Deke mused. "But, I don't have the same relationship with her that you do either."

"How do you figure?" Barbara asked, melting deeper into the tub at his touch.

"Well, I mean, you're her girlfriend, really and truly. Me, I care about her sure, but I'm more conversation and gratification, and not even a lot of that. More a beneficial friend than anything else." Deke drawled.

That made Barbara pause to think. Had her request that they not sleep together without her somehow shifted the dynamic in their relationship irreparably? Had she waited too long to play voyeur with them? "How do you feel about it?" she finally asked, trying to stop overthinking it.

Deke blew out a breath in thought. "I love her. It's like I told Mads, how can you not? I _do_ think I'm less important to her than you are. I'm not jealous though, if that's what you're worried about. What I wanted from her, I was getting before she ever really came into our bedroom."

"Well that's good. It wasn't what I was asking though." Barbara said gently, while pulling her right foot away and offering her left. "Let me try it this way, does it hurt you that you feel less important?"

Deke shrugged as he began working on her other foot. "No, not really. I mean, when we're both at the Hacienda, she always sleeps in my bed, and when we're out, she's affectionate and stuff, so it's not like I'm just a warm dick for her to hop on. Maybe I'm the one overthinking."

"I think you are my lovely." Barbara said with a small yawn. "Once you're done with that foot, we should get out of here before I fall asleep. I'm not forgetting about this though. I'll walk on your back before we go to sleep if you'd like."

"I'll let you." Deke said, fighting the urge to tickle her feet. "So, are you calling the concierge or am I?"

"I am. I'm going to vet the restaurants before I call. I thought it'd give you the time to build a fire like you wanted, maybe make some cocoa while we wait?" She asked, batting her eyes at him.


	8. Chapter 8

April 10th  
Star City  
1745 PST

Deke held his hands out in front of the fireplace, feeling the warmth. It was a primal act, making fire, and he snickered at himself for feeling so manly when all he did was build it in a fireplace using a starter log and a lighter. Though, he'd had his woman not altogether that long ago, and they were waiting on their food to arrive. That counted, right?

"You're being awfully quiet." Barbara said, slipping around him and sitting to his side by the crackling blaze. "Something on your mind?"

Deke shook his head. "Feeling like I'm living a charmed life. Just enough confusion and headache to make it feel real too. I love you." He said, adding the last bit as he turned into her and brought her the rest of the way to the floor in a deep kiss.

She cooed softly into his lips and wrapped her arms around him, though she also made effort to keep it romantic. "You can't tell me you're not sore anymore." She said after a minute. "That bath was the only thing keeping me walking."

"Oh, horribly so. Worth it though." He said, still perched over her, their noses just barely touching. "With you, it's always worth it."

"Silly flirt." She said, kissing him softly. Her hands wandered, innocently enough though, brushing his still-drying hair out with her fingertips. She stopped though, reluctantly, when there was a knock at the front door.

"Dinner!" She said, getting up with a slight grimace at the aches in her thighs, bottom, and more private places. Blithely, she all but skipped to get their food, excited to try their offerings. When she'd looked up the menu online, she'd been impressed, and when she called, her positive feeling was only verified.

Opening the door, she smiled brightly at the person who'd brought it, a rather young looking fellow in a Queen Consolidated polo. "Miss Gordon, as you requested. The chef included a dessert as well."

"Thank you." She said sweetly. This young man, whoever he was, reminded her of Deke when they'd first met. Shy and unassuming, he seemed to be almost scared to be there. Given what she imagined some other VIP's might ask for, it might have been justified. "Here, for your trouble." She added, handing him a twenty.

She felt bad, knowing he was likely used to much bigger tips, but he'd performed tasks for executives, not college kids. When he smiled brightly at her and pocketed the money with an enthusiastic thank you though, she figured maybe she'd worried for nothing. "Drive safely!" she added.

"Yes ma'am, and thank you again!" He called out, shutting the door quietly and taking off.

"You just made his night." Deke said, shaking his head as he stood up to join his love at the kitchen island. When she gave him a puzzled look, he gestured towards her semi-transparent white tee shirt. "You never put a bra back on."

Turning very suddenly red, Barbara facepalmed and shook her own head. "Well, can't un-ring that bell, can I?" When he shook his head slowly, she poked him in the chest. "I blame you mister. You gave me good loving, then, you bathed me _and_ rubbed my feet, what's a girl supposed to do?"

Deke shrugged and placed his hands lightly over her breasts. "Hire a professional?" he asked, giving them a soft squeeze. She showed him the tip of her tongue and brushed his hands away lightly, before turning to open the large brown bags that they'd been given.

"Okay, well, now what am I going to do with you?" she asked, before setting the containers out. Two were large plastic boxes with clear tops, condensation just starting to form on the lids. Within them were two orders of carbonara, which were already smelling the place up wonderfully. A smaller container held what appeared to be a nice sized piece of tiramisu, one of her absolute favorite desserts. The other bag held two bottles of rosé from a vintner she wasn't familiar with.

"Get me drunk and put me in a food coma apparently." Deke said, taking the bottle and using his powers to open it. Barbara walked around the island counter and knelt down, coming up a moment later with a pair of wine glasses.

"I'm getting us both drunk, and in food comas Cowboy." She said with a bewitching smile. The things that smile could do.

"Okay, if that's what you want, but why do you want to get us drunk?" He asked, taking the silverware she was offering and setting it on the takeout containers.

"Just, go with it, okay?" She asked with good natured exasperation. "I have my reasons, and my reasons are my own. I swear, you being all inquisitive. You'd never catch me behaving like that."

She rarely had the time to be silly, with her schoolwork and vigilante lifestyle. Neither of these things afforded her the opportunity to just be playful, which, Deke supposed, explained a lot of their private life. With that kind of pressure, having those outlets available to her was not only nice, they were absolutely critical to her mental and emotional well-being.

"Yeah, you're right, let's get soused and eat pasta." He said, levitating their food in front of them towards the fireplace.

Giggling, she joined him, sitting on the fuzzy rug. Quietly, they laid their food and drinks out, but when he reached for his silverware, she shook her head. Curious, he paused, and watched her take her own out, scoop up a bite of pasta, and hold it out for him. "Okay then." He said, and took her offered food, and replied to her in like.

"Now you're getting it." She said, taking what he'd offered with a delicate bite. "This is so good." She said after chewing, moaning happily. "I haven't had pasta in months."

"This _is_ good stuff. Do we take our drinks the same way?" he asked, noticing she was reaching for her glass. She smiled and took a sip, making a happy face when she did.

"Not yet, that's what the second bottle is for. I told you, I have fantasies, and you sir, are in them." She said spunkily. "Not sure how well I'll be able to follow through though."

"Right?" He said, offering her another bite. "That's a new record for us."

She nodded since she had a mouthful of carbonara, but she reached over and traced a finger up his arm with a smile. "I think we've set a record and found a limit too. I asked you this earlier in specific, but now I'm asking again in a more general fashion. Are you happy Cowboy?"

"Of course I am. Babe, I am sitting in front of a fire with the most incredible woman in the world, eating amazing food in this awesome place. I am a legitimate superhero too. I've saved lives and put bad guys away." He said, booping her on the nose. "What about you? You happy, or just content?"

"I'm very happy. I'm on track to finish college early, I've saved my share of lives and put away my share of bad guys too, and amusingly enough, I'm making my dad happy. He used to tell me when I was a little girl that I needed to marry a doctor, and the very sexy and wonderful man I plan to marry is going to be one soon enough." She said, booping him back with a warm look in her eyes.

They chattered like this for a while as they fed one another, Barbara putting music on her phone to play in the background. It was the two of them in front of the fire, having a fine meal. Once they'd finished with their tiramisu and relaxed for a minute, letting their stomachs settle, Barbara handed Deke the other bottle of rosé to open. Curious as to her plans, and quite pointedly _not_ listening to her thoughts, he popped the bottle and handed it to her.

"Okay, don't touch the glass." She instructed, pouring only one. Once full, she took a fair sized drink and leaned towards him, pushing him halfway to the ground. He put a hand back to support them both and watched as she all but crawled up his body, before brushing his lips with hers.

Okay, it was obvious, she wanted a kiss, so he obliged her, brushing her lips back before parting his to make it deeper, which seemed to be her plan. She opened her mouth slightly, letting the wine spill from hers, into his, letting it mingle in their mouths as she kissed him, adding just the slightest bit of tongue. A shiver ran up his spine as they shared the wine, unable to not feel her thoughts and wants with that level of contact. Apparently, this was something she'd dreamt about more than once, and it'd be dishonest if he didn't say he found it exceptionally arousing too.

"So?" She asked, her voice low and husky. "Am I weird?" Her hair had fallen into her eyes, and in the firelight it was even more a blaze of autumn colors. That fire was reflected in her eyes, washing the blue with orange and red. That there was a faint trickle of wine down the left side of her mouth, trailing towards her chin, it was all he could do to not flip her over and take her on the floor right then and there.

"You're fucking hot." He said plainly, feeling his body betraying him. "And I _will_ kiss you with this mouth until the stars fade."

"I'll let that one pass." She said predatorily. "I'm getting us buzzed, by the way, because I expected I might change my mind and want to go again, and I'm worried I might need to dull the ache. Is that going to be a problem for you?

Taking her with his free arm, he rolled her over onto the floor. "No, that will not be a problem at all Miss Gordon."

April 11th  
Star City  
0922 PST

"Oh God, that's a problem." Barbara said, rolling towards the edge of the bed. Her lady parts were most certainly sore, as were her legs, back, bottom, and most everything else. She winced once she'd gotten on her side and glanced at the slight bruising on her hips, lines roughly the shape of her boy's fingers looking back at her.

"Yup." Deke said, his voice squeaky. As could be expected, he was standing at full mast upon waking, and it _hurt._ "You achy or worse?"

"More than achy but nothing to worry about. I think I need to not stir you up so bad though." She said, pushing the blankets completely away to show him where he'd gripped her the night before. She'd been feeling wild, fueled by alcohol, and had kept pushing him to go harder, and faster, when he'd taken her from behind. "I love it in the moment but I hate paying for it."

"I'll take care of that once I get rid of this headache." He muttered, brushing her skin lightly. "I can't believe I did that."

He felt awful about it, pure and simple. Despite her egging him on, he should have known better than to completely listen to her, and now, she wore marks on her body. He frowned, and kept her from rolling completely out of bed. She brushed his hand away though, and turned to smile at him. "My fault. I bought the ticket, and I certainly took the ride."

"If you say so." Deke said, finally scrubbing his face with his hands. Barbara took that as her cue to scurry away to the bathroom, feeling like her eyes were floating already. Alone in the bed, he clenched his fists and scowled. He had zero business leaving a bruise on her.

"You're dwelling babe. I can feel it from in here." Barbara called out to him. For someone who complained about people thinking loudly, he might be the worst. She could feel the pressure of his negative emotions and she wasn't even the psychic. "I told you not to worry, I'm not leaving you, and I certainly don't feel abused."

"I feel like a dick though." He protested. Her response was to flush the toilet, illustrating exactly what she thought of that. Walking back out into the bedroom, she took his face in her hands and rubbed noses with him.

"Now you know how I feel when I scratch and bite. Speaking of, let me see." She said, physically turning him around to inspect her latest handiwork. As expected, she'd worked a number on him, though she didn't remember when she'd grabbed his backside, despite very plain evidence that she most certainly had. "We're even, how's that?"

"It'll do for now." Deke said, beginning the bathroom dance. She swatted his behind lightly to usher him into the bathroom before that dance turned into pure performance art, and turned to dress for the day.

Digging into her bag, she produced a pair of jeans which had seen better days, with several holes and frayed spots, and paired them with a deep blue peasant blouse. Under these, she chose a matching set of black lace underwear. Her favorite boots (she had no heart to get rid of them, despite being held together with super glue, tacks, and spite) completed the ensemble.

She turned and giggled at her boy, still naked and just flopping about in the breeze, when he came back into the bedroom. Soon, the giggles turned into a full blown gale of laughter, which left him scratching his head in the most puzzled look, which didn't help her in the slightest.

"You laughing at my dick?" he asked, poking her. She couldn't reply in words, but shook her head, her eyes watering from glee. To illustrate, she held her arm out and swung it around. "You are; you're laughing at my dick." He said, though it was clear it was the circumstances surrounding his entrance, not his junk itself.

"Can't help it." She finally managed to say, handing him a pair of underwear and jeans. "You were bouncing."

"Uh huh, sure." He said with a knowing nod, hastily covering himself before she passed out from lack of oxygen. "Better?"

She nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. "What do you want to do today?" she finally asked. "Star City has a big music scene, and a lot of art galleries."

"I could do a concert," He said thoughtfully, pulling a long sleeved University of Kentucky tee shirt on. The moment the fabric hit his back he winced, though he smiled at his love. "Or, whatever really. It's not like we don't have all day."

Barbara nodded thoughtfully, and reached over to scratch his chin. "I don't have a beard to scratch." She explained, leaving her boy to sit there and snicker. "How about this? We wander a gallery, grab lunch, then see if we can catch an early show somewhere? The time difference doesn't favor us and we need to get back to Gotham early tomorrow morning."

"Why such a rush?" Deke said, her scratching his chin becoming ticklish quickly.

"I have secrets my lovely." She answered cryptically. "All will be revealed in time."


	9. Chapter 9 (One HUGE Lemon)

April 12th  
Gotham City  
1645 EST

It had been almost miserably quiet in the small apartment over the weekend. Aasha had been home alone a good portion of the time, and had spent most of it with music turned up far too loud. Leaving her to her own devices had, however, allowed her a certain measure of productivity, which she was currently staring at.

A canvas on an easel, sitting on several square feet of dropcloth, stared back. Bold lines of color were juxtaposed onto stark white, a riot of nebulous reds, blues, and greens in sharp angles. Naked except for a pair of old panties and her wireless headphones, covered in paint, and holding a brush in her teeth like a flamenco dancer would hold a rose, Aasha glared at the canvas, demanding it release its secrets to her.

With her music blaring, and her attention so focused, she never heard her lovers slip into the apartment. The near nude appearance of her girlfriend left Barbara to usher her boy into the place quickly before one of their neighbors happened by the door and peeked in. [Should we say something?] Deke said to Barbara telepathically.

[No, not yet.] Barbara said, instead slipping up into a seated position on the bar section of the kitchenette to remove her boots. [She doesn't paint with people around, I'm curious.]

Deke shrugged and leaned against the wall, watching the girl stare daggers into the canvas. Finally, she daubed her brush into a streak of red paint on her left arm, and drug it across the canvas in a slow, but hostile motion.

[She seems pissed.] Deke thought towards Barbara, who nodded in full agreement. She considered her situation for a minute and gave her boy an idea, using pictures instead of words to more accurately represent what she was thinking. He grinned and quietly removed his jacket, setting it on his suitcase.

Aasha had replaced the brush in her teeth and considered her most recent brushstroke. Did it truly speak to her thoughts and feelings? Was it just paint for the sake of more color on the canvas? She was about to scrap the thing for the tenth time when she felt strong hands grasp her wrists. She tried to jump and turn, a squeal exiting her mouth, but she was held firm, her arms pulled out to the sides.

When she was turned around, she found herself face to face with her girlfriend. Barbara smiled at her, and gently plucked Aasha's headphones from her ears. "My dear, you look so stressed. Would a distraction be in order?" Barbara said, her tone as soft and soothing as her touch.

Aasha was about get sour about being interrupted, but the truth was, she _did_ need a break. It didn't hurt that she was being held bare and helpless in front of her girlfriend, the hands gripping her arousingly strong but still caring. Instead of the tart reply she'd immediately wanted to fire off, she cast her eyes down and nodded, deciding she liked where things were going. "Yes, please." She said demurely.

"I missed you Aasha, we both did." Barbara said, unbuttoning her shirt, and extremely glad she and her boy had taken things nice and easy when they punched their Mile High Club ticket on the return flight, followed by a good run of his psychometabolics. Her mind and heart were quite insistent, despite the aches, so healing up enough for some indulgence was perfectly necessary.

"I, I missed you both too." Aasha admitted, playing her role by answering in a meek, shy tone. She watched as Barbara released her last button on her shirt, but kept it on, instead quickly glancing about. She pointed to the coffee table and cocked an eyebrow, looking well over Aasha's head.

Since he was still holding her, Aasha couldn't see how Deke replied, but when her choker, the good soft leather one, floated across the room and into Barbara's hand, she understood immediately what was up. "I'm going to put this on you." Barbara said.

"I'd like that please." Aasha replied, still sounding so shy. It was quite opposite of her body, which was anything but. Already a flush was developing on her dark skin, her heartrate climbing into a fully aroused state, and a warmth between her legs that was beginning to burn. She closed her eyes and shuddered as she felt her lover clasp her choker around her neck.

"Is that too tight?" Barbara asked in a loving, but firm tone. Deke just kept his grip and watched his girl slip into her own role. It was so easy for her, as smart as she was. It was nothing for her to grasp a concept and master it. He felt Aasha's hair tickle him as she shook her head, her arms pushing against his grip ever so slightly. "Good. Are we nice and calm now?"

"Yes." Aasha said meekly, working her mind into submissive space. A firm grip on her chin reminded her she wasn't there yet. "Yes, Miss." She added, glancing at Barbara's stern expression before casting her eyes down again, letting her gaze linger at her girlfriend's breasts, restrained beautifully in her black lace bra.

"You're staring little one." Barbara said, and glanced up at her boy. "I think she needs bathed, poor thing, she's gotten herself filthy."

The way that she'd addressed him, more that she'd addressed him at all, shocked Deke into thinking. He'd just been standing there, taking it all in, and wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to be doing. Immediately he cranked the gain, as it were, on his telepathic senses, trying desperately to get a hint from either of the girls as to what he should say.

"I believe so, covered in paint and all. She _does_ paint beautiful pictures though." He drawled, adding the last bit in an intentionally thoughtful tone. The quick wave of elation that passed through Aasha was enough to tell him he'd chosen his words correctly, at least for now. "I'll see to her shower, try not to wear her out this time."

Barbara smiled, her deep red lips parting in a wicked manner. "I'll save you enough, if you keep yourself handy in there. I plan to get covered in paint too."

A small shiver worked its way up Aasha's spine, leaving goosebumps, a sight Barbara was pleased to see. When Deke released her arms, she let them fall to her side, as she hadn't been told what to do yet. That, however, was remedied quickly. "I'm still dressed Aasha." Barbara said, her tone of voice slightly displeased. The truth was, despite it being perfectly consensual and in fact welcomed, she was still uncomfortable properly 'punishing' Aasha, and so she chose to use tone of voice instead.

"Sorry Miss." Aasha said, properly contrite. "Shall I see to that now?"

At Barbara's murmured agreement, Aasha stepped forward and began undressing her girlfriend. First came the shirt, which she slipped from her lover's shoulders, careful not to get paint on the fabric. She moved onto Barbara's pants, just as carefully unfastening the button and undoing the zipper before dropping to her knees (expertly, if she was feeling a bit cocky) to slide just her jeans down. This, she took her time with, placing a few kisses on Barbara's bare feet as she removed the denim covering her lower body.

Glancing down, Barbara felt a twinge in the back of her head. She made no effort to lie about how old and well, _ripe_ , her old boots were, and the idea of having her toes kissed after wearing them, no matter how fresh and clean her socks were, was just peculiar. Still, it didn't hurt anyone and it seemed to work for Aasha, so she said nothing.

Standing before her, in her black lace underwear, Barbara cut a remarkably impressive figure. All that toned muscle, the nice round bottom, incredible round breasts, she might be the most perfectly formed woman, so far as Aasha was concerned. Even her black lace patterned hip tattoo only seemed to accentuate. "Miss, you're so beautiful." Aasha dared to say as she stood back up.

"That's a very nice thing to say, little one. You're such a good girl." Barbara replied, turning around to give Aasha access to the clasps on her bra. She shivered involuntarily as her lover's small fingers worked across her back. She inhaled comfortably as the tension on her bra released, letting her breasts spill free. Another turn and she saw Aasha carefully laying that garment on the back of the sofa.

"Thank you Miss. I uh, Miss, may I wash my hands please? I wouldn't want to get any paint on your perfect places." Aasha said, holding her hands up to show the flecks of dried oil paint littering her digits.

Really, that logic couldn't be argued. "You may, little one. Leave the door open though, I want to make sure he doesn't put his hands on you, _yet_." Barbara said, watching her sub (and that was odd to think about, but as much as Aasha had to put herself into the right state of mind, so did she) step meekly into the bathroom, leaving the door open as instructed.

"I'm to wash my hands." Aasha said by way of greeting. Deke nodded and gestured towards the sink. He'd been sitting on the edge of the tub, listening to them outside, and more importantly, _listening_ to them, trying to get himself in order.

As Aasha went about the task of scrubbing the paint off her hands, Deke remained sitting, still formulating a plan of approach. It wasn't so easy, since neither girl was doing anything to conceal their desires for one another. Aasha's thoughts as she washed gave him an idea though. She loved the feeling of power from them, so he might as well exercise it the best way he could.

"You're thinking about something." He accused; his words abrupt despite his calm tone. "I think you're hiding something from us."

"Sir?" Aasha squeaked, dropping the nail brush into the sink. Another chill crawled through her at his words. She knew exactly what he was talking about, because she'd been mustering the courage to even mention her latest 'adult' acquisition.

"It's not nice to hold back Aasha. We're here to take care of you." Deke said in his best lecturing tone. "Do I have to go fetch what you were thinking about?"

"No sir, I'll do it, if Miss allows." Aasha said, going back to scrubbing the last bit of paint from her hands, made more difficult by the shaking borne of adrenaline and the terror her mind was generating for disappointing the both of them. She turned the water off and dried her hands quickly, hazarding a glance at Barbara, who was sitting there quite calmly in only her panties, with a displeased look on her face, though she nodded her consent, because of course she wouldn't let that slip.

Aasha scurried past the both of them and got into her bag by the couch, digging deep into it before withdrawing what she'd been thinking about. The small chrome appliance still looked so intimidating to her, even though she'd been assured that they weren't made any smaller without a custom (and far more expensive) order.

"Aasha," Barbara said in a scolding tone. "Is that for your bottom? Is that something you dream about?" She'd seen such accessories of course, though she wasn't enough into having her own back entrance penetrated to consider purchasing one.

"Yes Miss." Aasha said, close to tears. "I've been practicing during my alone time."

Still in the bathroom, Deke marveled at the layers of conversation. Asking permission to wash her hands as a reminder, mentioning practice to let Barbara know she wasn't totally new to it, and the way Barbara had made asking about it at all into a scolding. It was brilliant and amazing, and more than a little unnerving to him.

Outside, Barbara crooked a finger and made a beckoning gesture. Aasha dutifully approached; the small plug and the bottle of lube in her hands. "Little one, do you want Miss to use this? You look frightened after all."

Aasha nodded, her head almost shivering. "Yes Miss, please."

"Very well. Remove your panties for me, over by the bathroom door so your Sir can see too." Barbara directed. She took her seat back at the kitchenette bar and crossed her legs in an intentional motion, giving her boy a wink. The look on his face as he continued trying to fathom the situation he was in would have been priceless if she wasn't so concerned that he was finding it all too uncomfortable.

In front of the door, Aasha slipped her panties off, bending over at the waist quite intentionally to give Deke a good look at her quite dewy sex. She'd soaked herself thoroughly already, her juices clinging to her bottom and the insides of her legs. In that moment, understanding just how much the whole scenario was working for her, Deke set himself. She'd done wonderfully taking care of him, much more emotionally than sexually, and having an opportunity to return the favor was something he absolutely wouldn't pass up.

"Down on the floor, and bend over little one." Barbara ordered, getting up and taking the plug and lube from Aasha. Capped with a deep purple jewel, it was a style known as 'princess', which had become quite popular starting a few years ago and never seeming to go out of style. When Aasha did as she was told, going face down and ass up on the dropcloth, Barbara patted her on the bottom.

"Good girl, doing as she's asked." Barbara said reassuringly, before uncapping the lube. Before going further, she took a moment to really analyze the situation. Aasha's sex was frighteningly tight, her bottom had to be even more so, and she couldn't have had _that_ much time to practice. Compared to her bottom, the plug looked massive. "Are you ready, little one?"

"Yes Miss. Please." Aasha squeaked, trying to calm herself down and relax. Her heart was racing from arousal, and the cold lube suddenly drizzling on her bottom didn't help matters. Barbara applied it liberally, taking the time to coat the plug with a layer of it too.

When she felt the cool, smooth metal get drug across her bottom, she let the slickness of it bring her into a calm mindset. It was just her, her breath, and just a little bit of time before she got to experience something she'd been quietly fantasizing about since a forum conversation weeks ago.

When Barbara began working the tip of the plug into her bottom, she tensed reflexively, but forced herself to calm back down. The burning pressure began slowly as Barbara moved just the tip gingerly in and out. When she saw Aasha calm down, she began pushing in with it more and more, taking her own sweet time. This was something she would absolutely not want rushed with her, and she was certainly going to show her lover that courtesy.

Mewling quietly in pleasure and pain, Aasha fought to breathe and relax. When she felt a hand on her back, too big to be Barbara's, and a sudden warmth spreading from his palm into her body, it was all she could do not break the moment and thank him out loud for relaxing her muscles.

With a knowing wink, Barbara resumed her efforts. At the widest point, there was nothing else she could do but finish the task, which she did slowly, ever so slowly. Aasha whined quietly as her body gripped the metal plug, pulling it in and holding it there.

"I believe you better thank your Sir." Barbara said, her hand moving from Aasha's bottom towards her sex. "See to it that you take _excellent_ care of him when his turn comes around."

"I will happily please Sir." Aasha whimpered, still face down. She sucked a breath in as Barbara's fingertips, still so very slick with lube, began brushing the girl's petals. "Once Miss is finished with me."

"That's a good girl." Barbara said, teasing the girl's sex. She marveled at her girl for taking what had to be a very intimidating piece of equipment so well, and caught herself staring at the sparkly purple gem capping it. That she'd chosen Barbara's favorite color was not lost on her either, bringing an intense warmth to her heart.

Still on her knees, Aasha's breathing picked back up as the very slick fingertips of her lover began caressing her sex with more purpose. She could feel Deke's presence over her too, still standing there, watching. Between the excitement (and _very_ stimulating presence) of her new toy, getting to play the way she liked, and Barbara's very nimble fingers, it took almost no time to get well and truly going.

Barbara winked at her boy as she teased and toyed with Aasha, giving him a sweet smile to go along with it, and juxtaposed such behavior by grabbing a fistful of Aasha's hair and giving it a firm tug. As expected, the girl whimpered louder, her moans growing feverish and quickly so.

There could be nothing better, so far as Aasha was concerned. She fell into an easy rhythm as her hair was tugged and her button was being tickled, so when Barbara stopped, just short of the brink, the sudden change was heartbreakingly disappointing. "Miss?" Aasha whimpered, turning her head to better look at her redheaded lover. "Have I been bad?"

"Yes Aasha, you have. You left my panties on me." Barbara said, licking Aasha's dew from her fingers, a naughty gesture to really drive the nail in deeper. "I'm afraid they might even be ruined now."

"Miss, I'm so sorry!" Aasha squeaked, scurrying about to get the offending garment off of her girlfriend. "Please, let me do that for you!" When Barbara gave a firm nod, Aasha reached over, sliding her hands up Barbara's smooth legs, and peeled them off of her. Yeah, they were certainly a bit messy, there was no doubt of that. Instead of laying them carefully with the rest of Barbara's clothes, Aasha set them off to the side.

"Would Miss like me to suck her nipples, perhaps even her pussy?" Aasha asked naughtily, intentionally getting dirty in her speech.

"Language!" Barbara admonished sternly as she took Aasha's chin in hand again, though the offer had certainly worked for her. There was protocol to follow however, and the devilish little twinkle in Aasha's eyes told her what she needed to know. "You'd best put that filthy mouth to good work."

"Yes Miss, of course." Aasha said, again contrite, and began shimmying her way up Barbara's legs. Just as Barbara had hoped, the motion left streaks of paint up her body, the drying remnants adding splashes of color across her legs and stomach.

Barbara relaxed once she felt Aasha's tongue begin brushing her stiff peaks, letting the feeling wash over her. She cooed softly as the smaller woman kept up her attention, though she hissed when Aasha took the ring of her right nipple in her teeth, and tugged it. She hazarded a glance up at her boy, who was propped up against the wall, calmly and quietly watching. He'd always been really good about behaving himself when the two girls played together, this time was no exception.

When Aasha moved her way down, leaving tiny kisses all over her breasts and abdomen, Barbara instinctively parted her legs, giving the girl access to her own dewy sex. "You don't dare stop until Miss is satisfied." Barbara instructed firmly, and inhaled deeply and sharply when Aasha's tongue began slithering and flittering.

The girl had developed some considerable skills in their time together, and it was showing. She lapped at Barbara's sex like a pro, getting her motor running beautifully in no time. "Little one," Deke interrupted with his own mischievous look across his face. "You have hands for a reason. Best get to using them."

Not stopping, she simply took her lover's advice and sent one up Barbara's body to grasp at her breast, while slipping the other within her sex. Barbara cooed happily at the introduction of Aasha's finger, though that coo quickly grew louder, when Aasha began stroking at her G spot. So much so that Deke had to break off his telepathic study to use his powers differently.

He did so by sealing the room in telekinetic force, similar to the inertial shielding he used to protect himself in combat. The effect he was aiming to achieve was to prevent sound from exiting and disturbing the neighbors. Holding that effect wasn't difficult, though it did require him to crack the windows and break the 'seal' enough to ensure fresh air could circulate.

Once done, he turned a chair around to get a better view of Aasha orally and manually devastating his fiancé. So kinetic, Barbara was all but bucking already, the way the inside and outside of her sex was being stimulated. Aasha seemed pretty self-satisfied too, the way she wiggled her bottom as she worked, the purple jewel catching the light and glinting almost hypnotically.

For Aasha, with the much more up-close view, things were even more fun. She couldn't help but giggle at her nose being tickled by Barbara's landing strip, but that didn't break her focus as she doubled down on the woman, adding more pressure with her finger and focusing in tighter with her tongue.

With a shriek, Barbara experienced her orgasm, the sensation of sinking into the floor before being violently and blissfully ejected into space on a body-numbing ride. She sailed on for a while as Aasha kept her attention on her, that trip sending her further as another deep orgasm struck her. Another followed it, and another, and it was all Barbara could do to remain even slightly coherent.

"Enough!" She shrieked, beating on the floor involuntarily, trying to end the cycle before it killed her. She wasn't entirely certain it hadn't already, the way her body was shaking and quivering, still numb to her fingertips. Sweat was already burning her eyes as she tried blinking it away to regain control, leaving her vision blurry.

"I think little one has earned this." She heard Deke say, and noticed Aasha scrubbing her face with something vaguely blue-ish. His tone was a forced attempt to remain in character, mixed with what seemed like an almost amused urgency.

As her vision came into focus, she could see Aasha wiping off with an old towel. "Miss has given me a facial." Aasha said, trying desperately not to giggle. "Does Sir plan to give me one as well?" She added, glancing coquettishly at Deke.

A silent 'Ay dios mio' left his mouth as he seemed perfectly dumbstruck by the offer. He brought it together long enough to nod and answer. "Yes, I do believe so." He was going to say more, but a suddenly energized Barbara sprung up from the floor, grappled Aasha, and brought her back down.

Aasha squeaked in genuine surprise as she felt herself get brought down to the floor, but that noise gave way quickly as Barbara resumed her attention on the girl's sex. Instead of just using her hands, Barbara dove in greedily with her tongue, all but lashing the girl's button. With one hand, she slipped a finger in, locking onto Aasha's G spot, while the other flicked lightly against the jewel on her plug.

In _very_ short order, Aasha's squeaking turned into full blown moans, which then gave way to proper shrieks. She could feel her own body beginning to signal a very powerful end, threatening to wait, she stopped, _again?_

"Miss! Please." Aasha all but begged at the abrupt cessation of some remarkable attention. "Does Miss want me to beg?"

"Yes." Barbara said wickedly, before diving back in with an even greater determination.

"Please Miss, please may I finish?" Aasha all but squealed, her body beginning to ignore her commands in favor of bucking and grinding against Barbara's face and hands. "Miss, _please_! I will be a very good girl! I promise!"

Barbara kept her attention up, waiting for the early contractions in Aasha's sex to signal her. The moment the girl's sex began to quiver, she stopped again. "You need a bath little one." She said simply, coming up and away from her lover, feeling like a bitch for treating her that way, despite the fact that it would certainly make things better later on.

On the floor in front of her, Aasha quivered and shook, almost in tears at the merciless teasing. Being brought to the brink so many times, only to be denied, was the cruelest torture. Though, it had its benefit. Multiples were not her friend, and she still had Deke to contend with, who, despite understanding her mind and body on an extremely intimate level, still had trouble remembering what she could handle versus what Barbara could handle.

Deke and Barbara exchanged glances, and probably telepathic communication, as Aasha pulled herself up from the floor. "May I bathe now?" she asked meekly, feeling whipped to the ground.

"You may. I will be joining you." Barbara said, though she paused long enough to grab her phone and take a couple of pictures, capturing the mess of paint and sweat on her body. When Aasha glanced, Barbara made a turning gesture with her hand, signaling Aasha to follow suit.

"Show some pride in yourself. Miss is pleased by your performance." Barbara suggested, much more kindly than her previous tone. Feeling pleased by her statement, Aasha smiled and posed a bit, letting Barbara take a couple of pictures, before she found herself ushered off into the bathroom with a casual swat on her bottom. The motion caused the plug in her bottom to do naughty things for her, though with the horrible teasing, the jury was out on whether it was perfectly good or not.

At Barbara's order, Aasha washed her efficiently, before turning to her own body. The hot water caused the paint to run off, creating a beautiful tangle of colors at their feet, a sight that wasn't lost on any of the three of them. "Such pretty work, little one." Barbara commented, stepping out of the shower and toweling herself off while Aasha finished washing up.

"Thank you Missssssoooooooooh." Aasha whimpered as Barbara slipped a hand down to tease her sex again. As expected, the effect was quick, and again, ended suddenly, leaving Barbara to wash her hand off in the shower and dry it again.

"Just keeping you ready for your Sir." Barbara said with a wink at her boy. He winked back, though his attention was on Aasha's body, making sure she was still physically okay with what was going on. This was a lot deeper of an encounter than they'd ever had before. Mostly, it was rather 'vanilla', if one could consider a two girl and one guy threesome vanilla to begin with. They'd all play around in traditional foreplay, he'd do his best to please the both of them, and call it an evening. This was so much more different, but if nothing else, he was learning just how tough little Aasha really was.

"I'm always ready for my Sir." Aasha said, almost seductively, though her tone of voice made it sound like she was looking for positive reassurance.

"Very good, little one." Deke said, stepping away to give her room to step out of the shower to dry off. "But you need to do something for me."

"Yes sir, what may I do for you?" Aasha asked, once she'd finished drying off. She followed Deke out of the bathroom, waiting on him to ask, and found herself being led into the bedroom before he did.

"Since I've asked for it, there are no consequences for any answer you give. Am I clear?" Deke asked, sitting on the side of the bed to put himself closer to Aasha's eye level. It was something he'd never consider doing outside of the bedroom.

"Yes sir, perfectly clear." Aasha replied, feeling him cup her chin gently to bring her eyes to his. The kindness in his bottle greens could never be wiped away, and the assurance behind them that he cared for her as deeply as she did him was heartwarming.

"Tell me what you think about when you and I have our fun." He asked. "You've been holding something back and I want you to tell me, so I don't have to go looking."

"Uhm, Sir is too gentle with me." She answered meekly, almost terrified to say it.

"Is that right?" Deke asked, releasing her chin and standing up. When she nodded, he had his answer. "I told you there would be no consequences, and I'm a man of my word. Now, see to your task."

"Yes sir." Aasha said, dropping to her knees in a smooth, graceful motion, again feeling perfectly cocky at just how easily she hit a kneeling position before her Sir. With an easy series of movements, she'd undone his belt, unfastened his jeans, and slid them, along with his underwear, down to the floor. The earlier festivities had certainly aroused him, so Aasha grasped his stiff shaft, drew herself up to her full kneeling height, and took him into her mouth without so much as a bit of pretense.

"That's a good girl." Barbara said, moving around them to sit on the bed to watch her boy receive what appeared to be a remarkably good bit of head. "She's so good at getting on her knees, I bet she loves it."

"I know she does." Deke murmured, taking a handful of Aasha's hair to hold. Truth be told, it was one seriously exquisite blowjob, easily some of the best work she'd ever done. "I think she works hard to please us."

"She works extremely hard to please us." Barbara commented, her tone complimentary. She was going to say more, but the deep inhale Deke took as Aasha continued to focus on her work cut her off, not that such a thing was even remotely problematic.

"Would you like to know?" Deke asked, giving Barbara a wink. He'd gotten the idea in Star City and wanted to try it.

"How?" Barbara asked, genuinely puzzled, something she rarely was.

"Stop little one." Deke commanded, and released her hair. At the disappointed look on her face, he continued. "I prefer to lay back."

"Certainly Sir, forgive my enthusiasm." Aasha said. She was just hitting her rhythm too, and she dearly loved the feeling of a hard shaft in her mouth.

"Enthusiasm is always forgiven. Now, Barbara, this might be a bit weird at first, just relax." Deke replied simply. He stepped out of his jeans and quickly tossed his shirt before crawling on the bed. "Don't begin again until I signal you." He added, and put a hand on Barbara's leg. Using a combination of telepathic and psychometabolic abilities, he effectively hijacked Barbara's senses, and tied them into his own.

Blinking, Barbara tried resolving the fact that she was suddenly seeing the bedroom from a completely different angle. It felt like she was a passenger in someone else's body, and watched as Deke signaled Aasha, who grinned and returned to her attention with perhaps a bit more intention on showing off.

"Oh holy shit." Barbara muttered the instant Aasha's soft, warm lips wrapped around Deke's shaft. "Oh my God."

"Miss is pleased at Sir's blowjob?" Aasha said with a bat of her eyes, before returning to her slow, relaxing pace, quietly slurping and flickering her tongue about as she worked.

"Oh wow yes." Barbara said, hearing her words in someone else's ears was so _weird_ though. Is that how she actually sounded to people? Resolving herself to relax, following the pace Aasha was setting, Barbara just sailed along, fully understanding just exactly what the fuss was all about.

"If little one is a good girl, one day she might get to see what her Miss's work feels like." Deke offered, his tone and pacing slow as he got carried along by the wonderful ministrations he was receiving.

"I promise to be an _extra_ good girl then." Aasha said, noticing the purely blissed out expression on both of their faces. She took absolute pride in her skills, and it was nice to see it was paying off. Still, she stopped talking and returned to work, stroking his shaft as she sucked and bobbed along on it, finding her rhythm and keeping to it.

Aasha kept it up for a good while, not trying to finish him at all. While feeling him pulse in her mouth was her absolute favorite, she'd offered to let him finish on her face (and where had _that_ come from anyway? Had she been spending too much time around Maddie?) and she would own up to that.

It seemed like days had passed for Barbara, the incredible sensations just carrying her on a trip that was equal parts hedonistic and scientific. If her performance was even a quarter of this, she could see why it was considered such a powerful thing. Also, she wasn't even remotely jealous, she'd definitely grown as a person.

"I do believe it's time to move things along." Deke said, noticing the way Aasha was slowing down and using more of her hands than her mouth. He'd specifically avoided using any of his additional senses, so as not to overwhelm Barbara, and was pleased to see he could visually identify cues. When Aasha released him, he 'disconnected' Barbara from his senses gradually. "You enjoyed that, I take it?"

"Yes I very much did. Wow." Barbara said, surprised at the throbbing in her own clit. Apparently her body was experiencing it too. "Now get your business concluded. I came for a show." She said, her hand absently trailing to her sex.

"Yes Miss." Aasha said. "How would Sir like me?" She asked, scooting away to let Deke move. Once she'd gotten into a kneeling position on the bed, she saw her lover maneuvering himself around, his shaft ramrod straight and seemingly locked in on her. Coupled with the sudden shift in his expression from blissed out calm to deadly intense, she was firmly convinced she was in for a whirl.

That whirl came when he pulled her onto his body and rolled with her, slamming her back onto the bed. "Sir!" she squeaked in surprise as he did. With that same intensity, he placed the tip of his shaft at her entrance, and in one smooth motion, he entered her.

She moaned, long and low as he drove into her, her tone picking up as his pace did. She hazarded a glance at Barbara, who was happily touching herself while she watched. That didn't last long as his thrusting grew harder and stronger, much more so than his usual efforts with her, though he kept the speed itself slower to stretch things out a while longer. The effect was nothing short of extraordinary so far as Aasha was concerned, that feeling of intense power. In her headcanon that power seemed so barely restrained behind the kindness and affection he showed.

Her eyes rolled back into her head as she was pounded upon, beautifully so. To have her wishes fulfilled like this, especially when she'd been so lonely over the weekend, it was perfect. Her body, so primed and shoved to the edge with Barbara's attention, was ready for it too. She was soaking wet and on a hair trigger as she was driven into, the pressure of his shaft pushing against the plug in her bottom.

When she felt his hand grasp her throat though, all bets on how well she could hold back her orgasm, were off. The sudden grip of his rough hand, his fingertips closing around her neck and carefully squeezing her arteries, there was no holding back from that, and her climax ripped through her. That hand that had gripped her neck moved to her mouth as she all but screamed, though even that was powerfully erotic to her, that feeling of being controlled.

Barbara, who'd expected a rather quick finish from her, was surprised at just how fast it had been, but that surprise was nothing compared to seeing her boy's behavior. Near furiously, she rubbed her own sex, trying to catch up to Aasha, and when he'd grabbed the small woman's throat, and she saw part of him she hadn't seen before, it sparked her own finish, letting her join her female lover's mews and cries in wonderful climax.

"Sir, please." Aasha begged in muffled voice, trying to move his hand away to speak. Just as quickly as Deke had moved his hand, he had to replace it, as the rare aftershock struck her, ravaging her small body with electric pulses. This time, he slowed himself down, shocked at how well he'd kept himself from finishing just as quickly. As badly as Barbara had teased her, he'd held off from using his powers.

He let her lay there, whimpering and twitching for a while, while he stroked her hair and reminded her of just how much a good girl she was. "She has been a good girl indeed." Barbara remarked, joining him in stroking her hair while she calmed down from the experience. "I think she's earned one last treat before we conclude the evening."

"I have?" Aasha asked weakly, trying to keep that cute sub tone to her voice and totally failing to be able to. Her gears were turning, trying to figure out what treat Barbara was talking about.

"You have, yes. I want you to sit on your Sir's face, propped against the wall. It's a shame you won't be able to see him get ridden, but you were _very_ good so you'll see to his finish." Barbara said, patting her boy on the shoulder as indication of what she wanted him to do. When he got onto his back, she straddled him and grasped his shaft, angled him exactly as she wanted him, and slipped down onto it with perfect ease, a naughty thought about her juices mixing with Aasha's on her mind.

Aasha heard her lover moan as she filled herself with her boy. Glancing back with a smile, she similarly propped herself over Deke, who was currently little more than a pleasure tool for the both of them (not that _that_ bothered him of course). In short order she felt his tongue going to work over her very tired sex. "Sir is too kind to me." She said. His pace, nice and languid, was exactly what she needed.

Barbara's pace, on the other hand, was a whole different creature. Once she'd found the right spot, she'd gone for it with a reckless abandon, rolling her hips as she bounced, using the muscles in her bottom to propel herself up and down with a deceptive grace. She filled one of her hands with Aasha's hair, less to tug for the fun of it, and more to balance herself as she seemed to be using her boy's shaft to work out some issues.

To his credit, despite the wonderfully spicy flavor of Aasha on his lips and tongue as well as the velvet glove that was Barbara on his tool, Deke just focused in on his task without so much as complaint or protest. He'd had to use his powers on himself in extremely short order of course, no properly functional male (of the variety interested in women) could possibly hold out against the sheer experience that was Barbara and Aasha.

For Aasha, what had started as a night in doing some work on a painting had turned into absolute wish fulfillment. She'd been put into her place, treated like she always wanted to be, received some wonderful attention, and just as she thought it in her pleasure drunk haze, it got even more wonderful. Barbara had been whining, trying to contain her voice, and had leaned forward, biting down on Aasha's shoulder while simultaneously digging her claws into the girl's hips.

It was too much all at once for Aasha to handle. With a small, almost weak cry, she felt another climax tear through her, the extremely intense psychological fulfillment blending magically with the physical. She trembled, struggling to hold herself up even though she was propped against the wall and resting her head in her arms, and tried to hold on until Barbara was finished.

Mercifully, it was fast. Much like the tone of the rest of the evening, it was a series of sudden explosions, almost violently intense, but over quickly. With an _extremely_ satisfied sigh, Barbara dismounted from her boy on wobbly legs, and rolled to the side to catch her breath. Similarly, Aasha climbed away and all but fell to the bed. "I am Sir's to use as he pleases." She whimpered quietly, sounding pitifully tired.

Seeing the sheer exhaustion in the girl, and just how played out she'd gotten, there was no way Deke was going to go any further with her. "Open your mouth." He said, as firmly as he could muster, and maneuvered himself into a standing position beside the bed, right beside her.

Unable to properly speak, Aasha still complied, opening her mouth and accepting his shaft perhaps a bit more greedily than she really felt, presented with the chance to suck Barbara's dew from his shaft. She saw the mischief mixed with a patient concern in his eyes, but wasn't sure what to make of it as she sucked on him, that is, until she felt him beginning to twitch in relatively short order. She released him, and watched as several jets fired off, striking her on the lips, cheekbones, and chin, though a bit covered the distance of the bed to splash Barbara as well. The relief in Aasha's eyes was mirrored in Deke's, who'd finally let his control slip completely so he could find his own conclusion.

He stood there, breathing for a moment, before making a gesture and causing a towel to come sailing across the room. "Let me." Barbara said though, and rolled closer, gently lapping away at the mess he'd left of their lover. She whispered to Aasha as she cleaned her up, and continued stroking the girl's hair. Once Deke was coherent enough to think, and not telekinetically grasp at things out of reflex, he sat back down and joined in the hair stroking.

"Aasha was a very good girl." Barbara said, taking the towel and daubing away the last of the semen and the saliva she'd left. "You've certainly earned yourself a nice meal, a real bath, and a good night's sleep."

"Ice cream too." Deke said. He wasn't sure what Barbara was trying to accomplish, but it seemed like a nice thing to offer. "You want me to relax your muscles again?" He added, stroking the small woman's hip gently, referring to the plug still firmly seated in her bottom.

Aasha nodded and let out a long exhale. "Yes please." She said in a small voice. She'd never in her life felt so ravaged, so _fucked_ to fulfillment, and they'd had some wild times together. In short order, that wonderful, familiar warmth spread from his touch. So wonderful in fact, she only vaguely noticed Barbara gently removing the chrome plug.

"Let's get that collar too. Don't want you getting a rash from leather and sweat." He said, and began unbuckling it, using his telekinetics to guarantee her throat wouldn't be squeezed. Right now, his physical touch was all but shot from the experience.

Fully down from the submissive mindset, Aasha just laid there for several minutes, getting petted and loved on and having nice things said to her (because she was very small). "Deacon, Barbara," she began, trying desperately to fight of going to sleep immediately. "I love you both."

"We love you too Ash." Barbara replied, still petting her lover's silky hair, while simultaneously scanning the room to see if she had anything comfortable to wear within reach and wondering if it was even worth the trouble to get dressed just yet.

"No, I don't think you understand." Aasha said, sitting up slowly and drawing her feet under her. "I am dearly, and deeply in love with you, individually and together. You quite literally just granted me my deepest fantasy. Not because I asked for it, or because I hinted at it, but because you wanted to. You've both made me feel so loved and I don't know that there's a bloody thing I could ever do to really express what that means to me. I know Deke stepped well out of his comfort zone for me, bless you for it because you never had to. Barbara, that you've been so kind to me, this is," she was going to say more, but her bottom lip began quivering. She sniffed it away, though a few tears spilled down her cheeks all the same. "I need you both so much."

While they'd both left her alone long enough to let her speak her piece, the moment she'd stopped, both of them had wrapped her up and gripped tightly to her. "We ain't goin' anywhere." Deke said, kneeling on the floor in front of the bed and hugging her around her middle.

"No, we're not." Barbara said from behind her, and began nuzzling into the girl's neck gently. "Not without you."


	10. Chapter 10

April 12th  
Gotham City  
1830 EST

"You feelin' better?" Deke asked, when Aasha stepped out of the bathroom. She was wrapped in a towel, and walking slowly and gingerly, but her expression was one of calm serenity. She turned to look at him and smiled softly, her dark brown eyes twinkling in the dim lamp light.

"I'm feeling so much better Love," She said, swishing her way around the side of the sofa to join him. "Better than I have in a very long time."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear." Deke said, turning to more properly face her. He made a quick couple of gestures, almost as though he was conducting an orchestra, and drew a basket of laundry through the air to rest between them on the couch. "We kept talking about you while we were gone. A nice weekend away from Gotham was what the doctor ordered, but I think we talked about you as much as we talked about anything else."

"It's good to be missed." Aasha said, digging into the basket to try and find some clothes. "Speaking of weekends away, and I'll totally understand if you and Babs aren't interested, but do you think maybe sometime this summer, you'd both be willing to come to England with me for a couple of days?"

"Hell, sure, I ain't ever been." Deke drawled, joining Aasha in the hunt for things to wear. He casually rested a bra on his head, definitely Babs' though. "What's there for you?"

"My family. I haven't been back in over a year, and get that bra off your head you silly man." Aasha replied with a giggle, reached over to bat it off. "My mum and dad have been calling me much more frequently lately, trying to talk me into coming back."

"They trying to get you to move back?" Deke asked, finally digging out a pair of her underwear and handing it to her.

"Between you two, and after what I've spent on gaining my citizenship here, it doesn't matter if they want me to or not. I don't think that's the case though. Likely it's just a case of missing their daughter, and I'd be a horrid daughter if I didn't miss them too. The life seems to interfere though."

"Yep, it does that." Deke drawled, watching her toss her towel and pull her panties up. "Speaking of, we're on hot standby in two days." He added, watching her root about for, and finally find one of her own bras. She slipped it on and tossed on the orange babydoll tee shirt he was offering her.

"Yes, and I have a bloody gallery opening the next day. Please don't remind me." Aasha retorted with a frown. "I'll be very busy, which means you've got Will and Maddie for entertainment. Think you'll be able to put up with them?"

"I'm played out for a while, I don't care if they're boning on the floor of my room, I'm good." Deke said. "And honestly, Mads has been a lot more at ease lately, it's really nice. Granted, that means I'm gonna have to have a conversation with Will about that."

"Don't get all protective, you'll have them both annoyed with you, which means I'll have to put up with it from Maddie." Aasha scolded lightly as she discovered a pair of shorts she liked. "Where's Babs by the way?"

"She ran down to the corner shop real quick, said she had to grab a few things. Speakin of, she wanted me to ask you if you needed anything." Deke answered, grabbing his phone off the coffee table.

"I don't think I do." Aasha said, trying to match a pair of socks out of the basket. It shouldn't be that difficult to find them, like everything she owned, it was much smaller than anything her roommates wore, by several times.

"You're sure? You're gonna get hit by the woman truck sometime tomorrow." Deke said, simultaneously making sure she was prepared for her cycle, and reminding her not to take her birth control that evening.

"The way you word that has me worried." Aasha said, finally discovering the long lost soulmate to her sock. It was good to see them reunited. "Should I be expecting a particularly unpleasant week? A week, for which, I am indeed prepared, whether I like it or not."

Narrowing his eyes, Deke shifted his perceptions to see the ebb and flow of the tides of energy with Aasha, zeroing in on her reproductive system specifically. "I don't think so, but I've never really looked for it before either. Still, excuse to have chocolate, right?"

"Deacon, love, I need no excuse. That I draw breath is excuse enough." Aasha said, kissing him on the nose and pulling her shoes on. It gave him a minute to dash off a text to Barbara, letting her know she didn't need to get Ash anything. "You might want to get dressed yourself though."

"Yeah yeah, keep naggin' why don't you?" Deke replied, getting up from the couch and wandering into the bedroom. He dug around in the closet for a bit, finally selecting a dark red polo shirt and distressed jeans. He frowned at his clothing choices after getting dressed, and wandered back into the living space.

"Ash, do I dress boring?" He asked, gesturing at his outfit. He'd been feeling bland about his wardrobe for a while, but nothing seemed to really work for him.

"Well, you don't dress badly love. I don't know what you mean by boring though." Aasha said, looking him over.

"I mean, am I bland? I'm a damn superhero, I'm supposed to be cool, right? I'm gonna take you and Babs to dinner in Florida and here I am looking like some kinda extra in a movie." Deke groused, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in his own skin. "Superman probably isn't some mild mannered, conservative looking nobody when he wasn't out being super at everything."

"Deke, love, I promise not to tell Babs about this, even though she made me swear I would." Aasha said, getting up from the couch and heading towards him. "That whole 'clothes make the man' thing is a load of rubbish if you ask me. A good looking man, and you _are_ a good looking man, makes his outfit work. Quite frankly, if we hadn't just had a lovely time, I'd be getting gropey and pervy."

"She made you swear you'd narc on me for not liking my clothes?" Deke asked, though he pulled the small woman into a hug all the same.

"No love, she made me swear to tell her if you were downing yourself. I know that posture from a mile away." Aasha said, nuzzling his chest. "We worked together for a while before we got involved, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Deke said and let her go, summoning a brush to his hand and running it through his hair. "I just wanna be cool is all, you know? When Nightwing isn't wingin' in the night, he's cool as hell."

"I paid for these, if you recall." Aasha said, gesturing to her breasts. "I know all about wanting to be cool, and look good. And really, I've heard Babs complain about his behavior, is that what you want to emulate?"

"Well, not him in particular, just sayin'." Deke said, feeling on the losing end of a battle he hadn't meant to pick. "Havin' a moment I suppose, sorry love."

"Forgiven. Now, I bet Babs'll be back any time now, we best be ready to leave. You know how she gets when she's got plans made." Aasha said, remembering the last time she lollygagged when Barbara was hungry.

April 12th  
Destin Florida  
1800 CST

"Recognize Batgirl Bee One Six. Recognize Daeva E Zero Two." The computer called out, telling the gathered people in the Hacienda that the two girls had arrived. Upon materializing, Barbara called up the control panel and locked it out.

"We've got fifteen minutes, tops." She said, and picked her phone out of her pocket. As expected, it began ringing immediately.

"Hey Cowboy. No, it's cool, Kris was working on the Zeta platform, he said it'll be out of order for about a half hour. You are? Okay, that's fine, we're here and we're safe. See you then." She said, and pocketed her phone again.

"We might have twenty, since he's not worried, he might not dead sprint the distance. Kris, are you tracking him?"

"Yes, he's already in flight, given his speed I'd say twenty minutes is a fair estimate." Kris said, eyeballing the screen. "Game faces everyone, we're on the clock." Kris called out, and joined the gathered Movers as well as a couple of their friends from the Titans. Red Robin (Rob, he'd asked to be called for ease of communication), Cassie, and Stargirl, who seemed not to be too worried to share her real name Courtney.

Efficiently, and cheating horribly by using every power they had at their disposal, they all began stringing decorations and balloons throughout the living space of the Hacienda. In the kitchen, Maddie and Aasha were busy putting the finishing touches on a gigantic cake.

"Red, you sure you don't wanna pop out of this thing?" Maddie called out, using a square piece of plastic to smooth the fondant out so she could apply the buttercream piping. "I made it hollow on purpose."

"No, I'm good Maddie, thank you." Barbara said, standing on a chair that was balanced on its back two legs, helping string some Christmas lights for ambience. A good spring rain had popped up in Florida, meaning they'd had to take their outdoor party inside on entirely too short of notice.

"Someone is meant to erupt from the cake? I will volunteer for this!" Pacifica said, looking entirely too excited about the idea. When Liho leaned over and whispered into her ear however, her expression shifted as a bright violet flush was brought to her cheeks.

"I still find the idea enjoyable." She said in her defense, and went back to hanging a banner. "I am quite flexible after all. It would be no trouble to fit into a cake out of which I am to erupt."

"I'm sure you are." Maddie muttered, shaking her head at the girl's naiveté. She banished the snark that was more for the principle of the matter than any real malice and went back to her task, operating like a surgeon. This was more than making a cake for her friend's surprise birthday party. This was a job application. Babs had already accepted her offer to be a wedding planner, but she wanted to showcase her other skills in the event something were to fall through.

"Five minute warning!" Kris called out, doing the math in his head as to Deke's airspeed and distance, based on what he was seeing on the screen. Since he'd tasked his nanoswarm to assist with decorations, he moved over to the kitchen to help Maddie and Aasha with the cake. With a glance over his shoulder, he saw Ingrid setting out the rest of the food, thoughtfully prepared by her and Liho earlier in the day.

"When you get some time," Ingrid said, once Barbara had finished with the lights. "I'd like to talk to you about your dress. Mustang said he'd bring it up to you."

"He did," Barbara replied to her fellow redhead. "And I'd be honored. I'll go ahead and tell you I'm not a silk kind of girl, if that helps any, but I am wearing white. My dad would have a heart attack otherwise."

"No problem, we can cover the rest later on this evening. I'm horrible with lingerie though, so don't expect that level of service." Ingrid replied, feeling elated at her offer being accepted.

Barbara blushed at the girl's candor, and shook her head. "That's perfectly okay, I'm not even sure what I'm planning as far as that goes. "

"Places everyone, he's over Niceville!" Kris called out, giving one last look at the setup, and feeling proud of himself. It was nice to organize and plan something celebratory instead of disaster relief or civilian evacuation. The Movers and their guests all ducked into a corner, where Aasha and Pacifica incanted a series of spells. Aasha's was an illusion, designed to conceal the team under a façade of the inside of the Hacienda, sans party decorations, while Pacifica's would hide their presence from his psychic senses.

Within a minute, the door to the Hacienda opened up. "Hello?" Deke called out, pulling the door behind him. "Anyone there? God help you if you've hurt my team." He said in warning, immediately going into alert mode by shifting his body chemistry to increase reaction time, and throwing up his inertial shielding.

"Surprise!" Was his answer, as the Hacienda suddenly became _much_ more festive.

"Holy shit!" He barked, grateful he'd 'lubricated' his synapses. He'd have probably slammed the lot of them through the wall in shock otherwise. "Wow!"

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have successfully thrown a psychic a surprise party." Barbara said, bumping fists with Kris.

She waltzed over to her boy, who was still in the process of calming himself down and coming out of combat mode. Placing a sweet kiss on him, she smiled and showed him the tip of her tongue. "Gotcha Cowboy."

"Yes you did." Deke said, shaking his head. "This had to be you. Nobody else has the balls to try and throw a psychic a surprise party, _and_ the brains to pull it off."

"Thank you." Barbara said sweetly, putting an arm around Aasha as she walked over. "It wasn't easy. We had to keep you so _busy_ this weekend you wouldn't think of it. I thought it was going to kill at least me."

"Here I thought I was lucky." Deke said, smiling and waving at everyone, finally realizing who all was there. "I mean, I _am_ , but you know what I mean."

"Yes, we do. And, by the way, earlier today, that wasn't me saying something deep to divert your attention, I did mean every single word of that." Aasha said, poking him in the abs. "So, you know, that. Now let's eat cake and play games."

"Girl thinks she's in charge or something." Deke said, winking at Barbara, and moving over to greet everyone. 

* * *

Will was sitting on the bench outside, watching traffic pass and having a smoke when he heard the door open. Glancing to his left, he saw his teammate the belated birthday boy, step outside. "Gonna lecture me?" He asked, gesturing with his cigarette.

"No, unless you want me to, I'm sure I could cook one up." Deke said with a smirk. "Naw, I wanted to have a man to man with you real quick."

"Sure," Will replied. He'd kind of expected it sooner rather than later. Everyone had been entirely too welcoming with him from minute one. No real suspicious behavior, no real change in routines, just an easy acceptance that had surprised him. "Shoot Cowboy."

"Only one person gets to call me that when I'm in street clothes." Deke said, though the look on his face and his tone of voice said it didn't bother him. "And no offense, she's a lot prettier than you."

"Fair enough, what's up?" Will asked, flicking his cigarette over the fence and into the rain glistening street, the cherry of it exploding and showering embers as it hit. He exhaled a cloud of smoke out of the side of his mouth and stood up to talk to his teammate more properly.

"Mads has had it pretty rough. I ain't in the business of spilling her secrets, but all the same, life ain't been kind to her. I'm also not in the business of being her big brother either, so don't worry about me getting upset that you two are banging headboards off the wall. I just, Will, all I wanna know is, if you're being honest with her." Deke said, feeling uncomfortable at having this conversation at all. He'd finally come to understand that people saw a pretty massive muscly guy when they looked at him, and he didn't want to come off intimidating.

"Honest? Like how? I'm not lying to her about anything if that's what you mean." Will replied. Despite being an excellent thief, he'd started his criminal career as a con man, and considered those skills to be his finest honed. That included reading people, but his teammate was throwing some weird mixed signals he wasn't sure what to do with. It was like that with so many people who'd grown up in rural areas. They were largely forthright, but had a hard time expressing themselves.

"I guess what I'm aiming at is, don't lead her on alright? If you ain't got feels, don't tell her you do. If you wind up catching feelings, tell her about it. I've never seen her in a better place than I have right now. Happiness and Maddie Endicott don't exactly go hand in hand, historically speaking. Clear as mud, right?" Deke asked, inwardly annoyed he couldn't just brain link his partner and just download his concern. Their minimal amount of time around each other would make such a task take too long.

"Clear as crystal man, I get you. Honestly, you don't have to worry about anything. Five years in the can left me pretty appreciative of human contact. I could have busted out any time I wanted, but I _had_ to be there, you know? It didn't mean I had to like it. I'm not in the business of conning my coworkers either." Will explained, fully expecting the quiet stone-faced expression on his teammate. He'd been warned by Green Arrow that it was as foolish to lie to Mustang as it was to try and arm wrestle Koa.

"Cool," Deke said, his expression softening into something more relieved. "She's a good woman Will. My life's been enriched by having her in it, all of our lives have."

"I feel you. Speaking of women though, I think you're being summoned." Will said, looking over Deke's shoulder. When Deke glanced that way, he saw Babs leaning out of the door and showing him the tip of her tongue. "I think you've got some presents to open."

April 12th  
Gotham City  
2330 EST

Wandering back into the apartment, Aasha unleashed a belch that seemed impossible to emanate from her tiny frame. "Oh goodness, excuse me!" She said, her hand flying to her mouth.

Barbara giggled at her and stepped in behind her. "Feel better?" she asked, holding the door open so Deke could step in, his arms full of gift bags. "Or do you need to change shirts?"

"I'm good," Aasha said, scurrying over to her usual spot on the couch, folding herself up into a compact little package. "Liho's still obsessed with overfeeding me."

"You ain't wrong." Deke said, setting his gifts on the coffee table and plopping down on the opposite side of the couch, leaving Barbara as the monkey in the middle. It _was_ her turn tonight anyway.

"You've got a card here." Barbara said once she'd shut the door. Picking it up, she handed it to her boy, and joined them on the couch. "Who's it from?"

"Dunno, just says Deke on it." He said, using his telekinetics to open the envelope with a crisp, clean line. Upon opening it, a gift card fell into his lap. He ignored it for the time being and opened the actual card itself up. Printed on the outside was an image of the Flash, fists on his hips and looking quite heroic as he stood over a city skyline.

"Deke, happy birthday. I'm sure you understand why I couldn't make it to your party, but I still wanted to let you know I'm thinking about you, all of you actually." Deke said, reading aloud, and showed the card to Barbara. "It's signed Scramble. Dude's got some hellafied penmanship too, look at that."

Glancing at it, Barbara noticed just what her boy was talking about. The text was remarkably clean and crisp, but it was clearly done in a person's hand, not a machine. There were too many variances in the letter formation to be a font, just enough slant to indicate handedness. Just enough looping in the humped letters and…

"Oh my God." Barbara said, when the realization dawned on her. She'd seen this handwriting before, when she'd been asked to proofread a few assignments for someone. "I know who Scramble is." She said, an icy knife twisting in her stomach. "I know who he is, and I have no idea what to do about it."

"Oh hell," Deke mumbled. "I was really hoping I was pulling a Question when I got suspicious." He rested his face in his palm and exhaled slowly.

"I hope we both are." Barbara replied, setting the card down carefully. "Because if we're right, there's going to be some fallout."


	11. Chapter 11 (Lemons prevent Scurvy)

April 13th  
Gotham City  
0115 EST

Six very large men, all dressed in snug green shirts emblazoned with a big question mark, were currently in the process of reliving an electronics store of its merchandise. It had been a good heist too. The Bat didn't seem to be in town, and his crew were apparently busy elsewhere.

"So, you know," One of them said, sticking an eighty inch television into the back of the truck with a caution that belied his size. "All the criminal bosses in Gotham always had crews, right? I mean, that's what we are. It was kind of inevitable that Batman would do the same thing."

"Don't say his name!" another said in a loud whisper, before crossing himself quickly. "You say his name and the shadows tell him what we're doing!"

"You're a superstitious coward Larry, you know that?" Another said, he'd introduced himself as Paul. "I dunno why the Riddler hired you to begin with."

"I don't want to take out student loans." Larry said, using a floor jack to lift a pallet of game consoles and bring it closer. "He said I could work as long as I was in school."

"Weird. I had to show him my degree." A fourth replied, beginning to load the game consoles into the truck. "He laughed his ass off when he saw it was in Phys ed but he said it counted."

"I think physical education is a viable degree." The gathered crew heard. It was a woman's voice, and she absolutely purred when she spoke. Larry turned around and caught a glance of who'd said it, and paused mid-hand off. Garbed in a black body stocking with plenty of panels cut out, and piped with white and lavender, the black haired woman with the pointy mask stood against the alley wall opposite them, pistol crossbow in hand. "You boys want to get physical?"

"The fuck is she?" The first thief asked, carefully setting a laptop down before turning to face her, fists up and ready.

"Huntress." She replied, popping herself off the wall and straight to her feet. "Make sure you tell everyone in the jail tonight." She added with a wicked smirk, before triggering her crossbow off.

The bolt struck Larry in the meat of his shoulder, biting in shallowly. He reached to pull it out when it whined and discharged the electricity it stored, shocking him with several thousand volts, putting him immediately on his ass. She let two more of these bolts fly, one of which missed, while the other grazed Paul without being able to discharge.

"Need to work on my aim some more." Huntress muttered, holstering her crossbow and taking a defensive stance. Two of them, Phys. Ed major and the guy she grazed, rushed in, one going high and the other low. Huntress leapt up in the air and whipped both of her feet out in a split kick, drilling Phys. Ed but grazing the other again. She used it to her advantage, planting her feet on his back and using her momentum to stomp him face first into the pavement.

Another of the crew dashed in, but he was blindsided by a sudden explosion of air, turning, he saw the net expanding but didn't have the wherewithal to do anything about it as it took him down.

"Keep focused." Artemis said, already nocking another arrow, this one nice and pointy, in a style known as bodkin. The tip was a narrow cone, and she sent it down the barrel of the stubby pistol caliber carbine one of the thugs brought to bear. This hired hand of the Riddler's was already committed to pulling the trigger, so when he squeezed it, and the round went off, a terrible malfunction occurred in his weapon, the gas pressure meant to propel the round instead blowing his carbine up.

As he went down, Artemis saw something at the end of the alley. Someone, more like, dressed in a black and green full body morph-suit. The way this person leaned against the wall, trying not to be noticed, stirred something within her, something she thought she'd finally buried.

"Wally?" she asked, unable to call it out, her voice had gone small. She heard a wet smacking sound, followed by a thump, and turned to see Huntress finish the last of the crew. When she glanced back, the figure was gone. 

* * *

"Okay, that's cool and all, but what happened back there?" Helena asked, tossing her mask onto the secondhand sofa they'd brought up into the old clocktower. "You had my back and then all of a sudden it's like you'd checked out."

"I have my reasons Helena." Artemis snapped, perhaps too harshly. "And they are none of your godamned business!" Yeah, too harsh.

"Well get your head on right, I'm doing my level best out there, I'm fucking trying. Batgirl's not handy at the moment, and Black Canary is busy with the league. You're all I've got." Helena snapped back.

"No I'm not." Artemis said, hanging her bow and quiver up. "Call him and see if he'll watch your back till I've got this figured out." She added, stepping behind the long dressing screen and pulling her costume off, tossing it on the top of the screen.

"I've got somewhere to be." She concluded upon getting dressed, leveling her eyes at the cowed Huntress before grabbing her motorcycle keys and taking the elevator. How had she known?

Scowling, Helena pulled out her phone, flicked through her contacts, and arrived at who she wanted. "Hey you," she purred. "I've got the tower to myself for a while. Yeah? I'll be waiting." She added, her mood improving greatly.

While she waited on her company, Helena wasn't idle. She shucked her costume and slipped into the shower, hastily washing the sweat and dirt from her patrol off. As she cleaned, she ran a hand across her perfectly hairless sex, pleased that the new spa she'd found did such an excellent job with waxing. Her dad might have been a criminal lowlife, but he was a rich one, and kept a great deal of money legitimate. When he'd been killed by Hush, all of that, plus the house, had become hers. What else was she going to spend it on beside a nice smooth pussy?

She'd just finished toweling off and applying some moisturizer when she heard the cage style elevator doors slide open with the telltale clanking. "Hello you." She said, stepping out and dropping her towel in greeting to her company.

"You clearly have plans." Vic Sage said behind his featureless mask.

"You're damn right I do, Q. Now, come give me some attention." She said, sitting on the couch casually and patting the cushion next to her. "It's been a bad night." She added with a little pout.

"That much is evident." Question said, casually removing his hat and overcoat, hanging them quite tidily on the coat tree. "Are you going to tell me, or do I have to figure it out?" he added, sitting down next to her. He acted like she wasn't naked as the day she was born, and absently playing with herself as she watched him move across the room.

"Argued with the boss lady." Helena said, leaning into him and catching herself before she kissed the space where his mouth should be. "And you're going to keep that mask on this whole time, aren't you? It's a good way to dry a girl up you know."

"We're not there yet." Question said, which had been his go-to answer since they'd started this, whatever it was. "Is a kiss so important?" he asked, biting back a quick lecture about the prevalence of kissing in the media being a plot to spread viruses tailor made to prevent genetic undesirables from breeding.

"Yeah Q, it is, but there's a tongue in there too that I'm _dying_ to meet." Helena said, dragging her hand up his leg and resting on his tool, giving it a soft squeeze and kneading it under his trousers. "I suck your cock for you, and you can't say it isn't good. When's my turn?"

"When we're there." He answered cryptically, pulling his gloves off and letting his own hand work its way up her thigh. She shivered and moaned quietly, knowing full well what those hands could do. He could crack a safe in no time on touch alone; they were nimble, sensitive, and tireless.

"You're lucky you're good with your hands." Helena said, deftly undoing his belt and unceremoniously pulling his tool from his trousers before leaning down and taking his _exceptionally_ thick equipment into her mouth. She didn't add that he was lucky she had a big mouth; she'd fed his ego enough.

Those hands of his weren't idle as she slurped on his shaft. She'd laid herself across him specifically to make exposing her sex easy, so he'd of course taken advantage of it, flickering his fingertips in a dance across her most sensitive places. The moment his fingertips slid across her wet lips, she moaned quietly, and took the moment to spit on his shaft before taking him back into her mouth.

Collecting himself, the Question kept up what seemed like idle teasing, though it was so much more than that. He'd studied her, first as quarry and then as a lover (which had surprised the hell out of him the first time she'd propositioned him), and knew her very well. Each motion was only as much as necessary, no more, no less, and it was all perfectly intentional. It, of course, didn't hurt matters that he positively loved the slick feeling on his fingertips, and reveled in it.

Before long, Helena's focus began to waver again, as he'd gone from idle teasing to a much more purposeful push to the brink. Already at wit's end from having her jaw set open so wide she could deep throat a soda can, Helena released him from her mouth and began stroking him.

"Lay back." Question said, having enjoyed himself enough for the moment. When she readjusted herself on the sofa, on her back and with her legs opened for him, he began his real work. She moaned loudly as he pressed two fingers into her easily, and then squeaked as he easily fitted his pinkie into her bottom.

Demonstrating the agility of his hands, he began rubbing small circles around her button with one hand while stimulating her inner walls with the other. He took his time, working methodically, and watched as she pinched her nipples on her spherical breasts.

When she came, it was in quiet, panting breaths which had built into a nearly hyperventilating crescendo. She tried locking eyes with him, but couldn't keep her focus on the smooth, featureless face. "Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop!" she cried out finally, feeling the very deep blended orgasm strike her.

Just as methodically, he slowed his pace, letting her buck against his hand. He didn't stop, however, keeping her going instead with those small circles around her button. She let him know when it was enough by grabbing his hand. "Okay, that's good." She said a bit breathlessly, coming back up into a seated position once he'd removed his hands, and then diving back down into his lap, apparently trying to choke herself on his tool.

Question grunted quietly as she worked, sailing along on her rather considerable skills. "You want to see this to the end, don't you?" he asked rhetorically, once he'd begun feeling his body beginning to betray him. He needed a break from her skilled and very pleasurable mouth, and quickly.

"Yes I do, Q, yes I do." She said, reaching into the sofa. She rummaged around behind the back cushions until she found her playthings. Producing them like a stage magician, she handed the Question her pocket rocket while she proceeded to apply lube to her string of beads. "Care to do the honors?" she asked naughtily, offering him the well lubed beads and taking her small vibrator back in exchange.

"Certainly." He said, and waited for her to lift her backside up, before he began the slow process of inserting the entire string, one at a time. "The Chinese would use knotted silk for this purpose. It was considered a finer way to treat a woman's body. The string of beads was more for men's use." He said, unable to not talk about something.

"You saying you want to switch places?" Helena asked, her words slow in coming as she shuddered and cooed with every new bead being pressed into her bottom.

"We're not there yet." The Question replied, perhaps a bit more hastily than he'd intended. "Though the offer to use a silk scarf still stands."

"We _are_ there for that Q. Bring it next time." Helena said once the last of the beads had found its way where she wanted it. Feeling stuffed and he hadn't even gotten within her yet, Helena slapped her sex in a taunting invitation, loving the electric sting shoot through her core. "Bring _that_ now."

She watched and waited, though again her hands weren't idle, as he almost casually removed the rest of his clothes. The accumulated scars of his career, as well as a few fresh bruises, dotted the landscape that was his lean figure. A sparse covering of ginger hair covered his chest, and matched the moss at the base of his tree, but that was by no means new information to her.

"Oooh, let me." She said, when he produced a condom from the inside of his suit jacket. She couldn't see, but could almost feel the smirk on his face when he tossed it casually to her, and walked towards her on the sofa. With a casual and practiced motion, she tore the shiny wrapper to the Magnum open and placed it into her mouth, exceptionally cautious to use her lips to cover her teeth in the endeavor.

With a come hither motion of her finger, she got on hands and knees and beckoned her lover to get in place, and once his exceptionally thick tool was right where she wanted it, she turned her head and sheathed him, taking him down her throat for a short moment before she came off of him, smiling at his now-safe equipment. She added a quick couple of strokes with her hand to ensure it was fitting him well and then used her grip on him to maneuver him around her body, until he was where she wanted him.

Poised behind her, he used just his tip to spread her dew along her petals. "Hrm." He muttered quietly, not yet driving into her.

"Is my pussy puzzling the great Question?" Helena asked with a raised eyebrow and a glance over her shoulder.

"No, your body makes perfect sense." Q said absently, reaching for her bottle of lube. He applied a generous daub of it to his tool, and more to her sex, and then made another noise, this much more satisfied. "Now we both make sense." He said, this time his tone edging somewhere closer to human.

Though she'd never say it out loud, Helena was grateful that he'd decided to make things more slippery. She'd had one or two longer, but she'd never had one even half as thick as his, so when he drove into her in one thrust, instead of the friction and pressure causing some initial discomfort, it was quite the opposite. She moaned loudly as he entered her, and brought her head and shoulders down to the couch cushions, all but resting her head on her own breasts, as he set his pace.

Those moans were coupled with the occasional hiss as she struggled to handle him. Some of that pressure began to ease when she felt the string of beads in her bottom getting tugged. A master of timing, he waited until he could feel the muscles in her sex beginning to contract before he even grabbed the thing, and on the cusp of her first climax, he removed one of the beads in a slow, smooth motion, letting the myriad of sensations push her over the edge.

Helena cried out as it claimed her, sending those magnificent pulses into her limbs. Absently, she remembered she had her pocket rocket, and flicked the thing on once the muscle contractions subsided, resting it on her button. "Faster!" she all but commanded, wanting to keep things moving along in a good manner. Helena Bertinelli was _not_ a woman made for sweet lovemaking.

Q obliged her. Nowhere near his top speed, he almost casually stepped up the pace at which he was currently stretching her out. Still holding onto the string of beads, he waited for the telltale signs, and pulled another, spawning another orgasm big enough that she cried out again as her sex clamped down on him.

"Faster Q, harder!" she all but begged. "Fuck me!" and that was the essence of what she wanted. Fucked; hard, fast and without mercy. A burning, stinging sensation on her left cheek brought her out of her demands, the pain roughly the shape on his hand and quite accurately on her bottom. It was followed by another, and another. "Yeah baby, do it! Smack that ass raw!"

A glutton for punishment, she'd wanted to get into much heavier levels of BDSM with him, though again, they weren't there yet. Smacking her ass red while he rode her into the couch on the other hand, that was something the Question was more than happy to do.

Another bead found its way out of her when he'd hit a full head of steam, and under him, Helena was in a whole other place. "Don't be alarmed." He said to her several minutes later, right out of left field, leaving her wondering just what he'd decided to do. When she felt the cheap synthetic silk of his tie wrapped around her neck, she understood, and shuddered in pleasure, so much so that she was claimed yet again by orgasm, and another bead being pulled.

Behind her, using his tie as a leash in one hand, while the other continued slapping her ass raw, the Question had found an answer. He'd tied a few careful knots into his tie, and tugged it lightly; restricting the flow of blood to Helena's brain just enough to make things interesting. It had the desired effect, and such was evident at the sheer amount of her own fluids she was leaving on his tool when she experienced climax.

Helena's eyes were rolling back into her head from it all. The beads (only two left), her pocket rocket, getting properly choked, and that thick tool of Q's was sending her off into her own private heaven. Her brain, working on its own pace and in its own ways, decided to remind her that she'd need to message ShortOrderSub on the Gotham Fetish forums and tell her about this.

It was evident Q was having himself a good time, if the way his pace was losing rhythm and his labored breathing were any indication. He soldiered on the best he could, but her sex was the gate to the heavens, rippling and gripping him in mindblowing ways. His timing was slipping too, as he pulled another bead a bit early, though it was clear from the noises she was making that Helena didn't seem to mind in the slightest. With one left, and his own finish on the brink, he made a calculated risk and waited.

When he felt the tightness in his gut and back, and his stones tingle, he gave one more good tug on his tie, pulled the last bead, and felt his own finish claim him, nearly blinding him in the process. Making only strange man-noises, while slapping the back of the couch, he felt like he'd been drained of his soul as well as his finish.

"My pussy is a magical thing Q, I warned you." Helena said as she rolled over and sat up, her voice sounding much more confident than she felt. The restriction of blood and oxygen had worked maybe a bit too well, leaving her dizzy and lightheaded.

"I don't believe in magic," Q said, carefully untying the knot in his tie. "I _do_ believe in good fortune, this most assuredly includes you."

"If I didn't know better Q, I'd say you were trying to flirt with me." Helena said, rubbing at the red skin around her neck. "Good flirts get kisses."

That gave him pause, and he took a deep breath and made a quiet exhale before speaking, his pacing and tone gentle and measured. "I'm not opposed, but what you and I view as caution is not the same thing." He said, feeling more like Vic Sage at the moment. "And while you might feel I'm withholding some very basic acts of intimacy, I'm doing this as much for your benefit as anyone else. I've angered people, and organizations that even Batman hasn't confirmed to exist, and you don't deserve to be in their crosshairs."

"Q, I can't believe I'm saying this, but that was really sweet." Helena said, taking wobbly steps behind the dressing screen to pull on her street clothes. The light behind it brought a beautiful silhouette against the screen, capturing his attention. "I'm a grown woman though, I can handle myself."

"I know you can, but that doesn't mean you should have to." Vic said, behind his mask. More than once he'd considered ghosting on her, he'd lived alone plenty, and didn't need sex to feel fulfilled, and it would make her safer in the long run. Her _want_ for him had been so compelling though, that walking away was becoming harder and harder to do.


	12. Chapter 12

April 13th  
Gotham City  
1105 EST

Aasha sat on the sofa in the most comfortable things she had available; one of Barbara's shirts, and a pair of sweatpants. She'd been going over her gallery's latest acquisitions, reading the appraiser's reports, and verifying the insurance information. She'd been there that morning to receive them, and having collected all of the information, she was able to go home for the rest of the day to get her work done. It was just as well, Deke had been right and her cycle had hit her like a truck a couple of hours ago, leaving her feeling miserable.

A rather loud pounding at the door broke her focus, so she sat her tablet down and got up from the couch. "Just a moment please!" she called out, as chipper as she could muster, and swished her way over to the door. When she opened it, and saw who'd been what Will had called 'cop knocking', it took her a minute to process it.

"Artemis, please come in!" Aasha said invitingly. "I'll put coffee on." She added, gesturing towards the inside of the apartment. The blonde girl had a rather rough look about her, and it seemed like a cup might do her some good, though Aasha wouldn't say that out loud.

"Thanks Ash," Artemis said, sounding hoarse. "Is Babs home?" she asked after shutting the door behind her.

"No, I'm sorry, she isn't. Let me get the coffee on and I'll check her schedule." Aasha said, stepping into the kitchenette and busying herself making a pot. She glanced at the small whiteboard on the refrigerator, which had been divided into seven columns and three rows. "She's just out of class; I'd expect her within fifteen minutes or so."

"Thanks," Artemis said, sitting down at the small dining table. She remained in silence for another minute or two before speaking up again. "Hey, I'm being bitchy company, sorry about that."

"Not to worry, you've met who I live with. Nobody escapes a dreadful day." Aasha said, digging the creamer out of the fridge and looking for the small sugar cup. "It's nice to have you over, Babs talks about you frequently and I'd hoped to get to meet you properly."

"All bad I'm sure." Artemis said, getting up from the table to make herself useful. "Or lies, either one sounds right."

"Not at all, she speaks quite fondly of you actually." Aasha said, finally discovering the secret hideout of the sugar cup, bypassing the advanced can of soup security, and freeing it from its prison. "How do you take yours?" she asked, her nostrils filling with the wonderful scent.

"Black, I know, I'm a sociopath. Is Big Man gone too?" Artemis asked, leaning against the counter and watching Aasha trying desperately to reach the mugs. "I bet he put the cups up there."

"Probably did." Aasha said with a frown. "He's at the clinic for the day, should be home around half past five."

"Damn, I like picking on him." Artemis groused. "You want some help with those mugs?" She asked finally, feeling short girl sympathy for Aasha, who was trying desperately to avoid climbing on the counter or going for a stepstool.

"If you would please." Aasha said, almost plaintively. "I'm apparently being defeated by dishes today."

Demonstrating the strength in her legs, Artemis jumped two feet up from a standing position and nabbed both of the cups, setting them down on the counter with a lopsided smirk. "Thank you." Aasha said in response, and began pouring, adding cream and sugar to hers.

"Thanks Ash, I uh," Artemis began, but the door opened up, pausing her. "Hey Red." She said when she saw who'd opened the door.

Barbara jumped at Artemis' presence in her apartment. That couldn't have been coincidental. "Hi Artemis, what brings you over? I figured you'd be busy."

"I needed to talk to you." She replied, sipping at her cup. The red eyes and hoarse voice were a clear indication of just how much she needed her friend to lean on at the moment. "I was going to come by last night but I thought you might have been busy."

"We weren't." Barbara said gently. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked, setting her laptop bag down on the kitchenette bar and taking the cup of coffee Aasha handed her.

When Artemis began hemming and hawing around it, Aasha stepped around the counter. "How about I pop round the corner and get us something for lunch at Mister Kwan's deli?"

"You live here chick," Artemis said, beginning her argument, though it seemed little bit didn't want anything to do with an argument, as she was already pulling her shoes on. "Seriously, it's cool."

"Yes it is, it's quite cool. Mister Kwan is a genius." Aasha said gently, taking just long enough to place a kiss on Barbara's cheek and whispering something in her ear before grabbing her small purse and heading out the door.

"I didn't mean to run your girlfriend off Red." Artemis said glumly, plopping herself down on the couch and glaring daggers into her coffee cup. "Sorry about that."

"Artemis, you have nothing to apologize for. She loves the sandwiches at that deli, she would have gone anyway. Now, what's bothering you?" Barbara said, gliding around the other side of the couch and sitting down sideways on it to face her friend.

"Babs, tell me I'm crazy." Artemis finally said. "Tell me I'm off my nut insane, because last night I saw something I know isn't true."

Ice began trying to claw at Barbara's chest. She fought it down and gave her friend a soft look. "You're not crazy Artemis. What did you see?"

"Wally." Artemis said simply, sniffing and struggling to keep her chin from quivering. "Babs, I swear to fucking God I saw Wally last night."

"What do you mean, you saw Wally? How?" Barbara asked, desperately trying to figure out how to not lie to her friend and still keep someone else's identity a secret. It was rapidly turning into a losing battle.

"I was out with Huntress, covering her back while she patrolled. I look down an alley and I swear I saw him leaning against a wall, watching us. It was that same lean, that same posture, everything except the costume." Artemis said, wiping her eyes for the billionth time since last night. "I thought he was gone and I was finally burying him, and now I'm seeing him again. Babs, I've got to be losing it."

"I don't think you're losing it Artemis." Barbara said, feeling like a bigger bitch than the bitchiest bitch who ever bitched. "I'm just not sure what to say."

"Tell me _something_. Fuck Red, lie to me, I don't care!" Artemis said, her voice growing a bit shrill, though she struggled to control it. "I wanted to die when he did; I still hope someone takes me down out there, so I can be with him. I half hope M'gann and Conner split up so I can seduce her and convince her to shapeshift into him. When I was laid up after that Amazon poisoned me, I thought Bart was Wally and I thought I was dead and I could finally have him again. Red, I can't live like this!"

Barbara dug into her pocket and pulled out a small pack of tissues, handing them to her friend. When she accepted them, the quiver in her hands and the near silent trickle of tears down her face broke Barbara's heart, shattering it into a million pieces. If she'd lost Deke or Ash, and she was in this situation, she'd be devastated to find out someone was holding back from her.

"Artemis, you're not crazy, because I think you're right." Barbara finally said, her words requiring more courage to summon up than it took to face the Joker on his own turf and terms. "But I don't know for sure. I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure."

"You fucking redheaded cun… no," Artemis said, slapping herself across the face before she finished the word, tears flying from her face from the impact. "No, you didn't deserve that." She said, seeing the hurt on Barbara's face.

"I kinda thought I did, don't worry." Barbara said, feeling a bit contrite. "But if I was wrong, I didn't want to upset you, so I would have rather just given you good news instead. It's been killing me since last night."

"How'd you find out?" Artemis said, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. When Barbara reached over to the coffee table and handed Artemis Deke's birthday card from Scramble, Artemis could see it. "This is his handwriting. He always wrote so beautifully, like, no boy should have handwriting like that."

"That's what gave it away to me too." Barbara said quietly. "Just, please understand something. Jason coming back was awful, we don't know what might have happened to Wally, if it really _is_ him. Deke and Ash both say he's private as hell, more than Fractal, who was hiding being trans from them when they had to share a locker room."

"Shit, yeah, godamnit." Artemis muttered, tears still trickling down her cheeks. "Can I have a hug Babs? I'm sorry about what I said."

"Hell yes you can, come here." Barbara said, opening her arms wide to exercise Liho level hugging. If it became necessary, she'd even call the big lug to make sure it took.

Artemis slipped across the cushions and laid against Barbara's chest, letting herself get wrapped up in her friend's arms. "I can feel your nipple ring." She muttered, still sniffling.

Barbara shook her head and stroked her friend's hair, latching on tight otherwise. They laid like that for several minutes before Barbara could hear her friend snoring quietly. That Artemis didn't smell like a vintner was a good sign, she could put away the wine when she was upset. However, that meant she hadn't slept much or at all last night.

When the door opened, she gave Aasha a small smile and made a shushing gesture. Nodding, Aasha shut the door quietly and set about the process of getting their sandwiches and crisps (chips, she was better than halfway to becoming an American) out of the bag.

"I was worried about her," Aasha said in a quiet voice when she handed Barbara the Korean Reuben, consisting of kimchee instead of kraut, and Korean barbecue rib meat instead of corned beef, and bag of air puffed veggies that she tended to order. "I wasn't sure what to get her though."

"If you can feed Deke you can feed her, I'm sure you did fine." Barbara replied, just as quiet. "Let me lay her down in the bedroom real quick." She added; carefully picking her friend up, and with a steady, smooth motion, coming up to her feet and carrying her into the bedroom. Artemis fussed quietly when Barbara laid her down, but wrapped herself up in the blanket and made no more noise afterwards.

"You know the story, right?" Barbara asked upon sitting, nibbling at her sandwich. Mister Kwan didn't disappoint.

"I've heard it, yes. At the end of the Reach invasion, the first Kid Flash got lost saving the world." Aasha said after swallowing her bite of sandwich.

"Yeah, Artemis and Kid Flash were going to get married. They were supposed to be our first success story, about how you _could_ get out of the life, and have your own. She was never the same when she lost him."

"I should imagine not. I don't want to even consider something like that." Aasha said with a shudder.

"Yeah, you and me both." Barbara replied in a dark tone. "So, I might as well just spill this since it's going to get out one way or the other. We think Scramble might be Wally. It's a longshot, it really is, but the handwriting is some damning evidence."

"He won't get around us, and he stays in motion when he's working with us. I don't know that he's ever used his room at the Hacienda either. He could be the Flash himself for all we know." Aasha retorted thoughtfully.

"Well, we'll ask Deke when he gets home, maybe he picked up on something. He's not likely to say, if he happened to. Remember that argument we had a while back about that?" Barbara said, grabbing her phone to send her boy a quick text.

"I recall clearly. I was scared to death you two were going to break up and never speak to each other again. I imagine I was more relieved than either of you were that it was resolved." Aasha said, drawing her feet up under her.

Hitting send, Barbara nodded. "I wouldn't have left him over that Ash, and we would have worked out a custody agreement over you if I had." She said, showing her the tip of her tongue.

"Well that's reassuring." Aasha said. "Oh, speaking of custody of me, I asked Deke last night, so I'll ask you now. Would you be willing to travel to England with me for a couple of days this summer?"

"Of course, I love England." Barbara replied. "Seeing family?" she asked, her mind already racing, trying to figure out what to bring Alfred back that was within budget and that he'd complained of missing.

"I am. Mum and Dad are growing a bit impatient, but work and citizenship have been occupying me. I've put it off as long as I believe I can. Work's already approved it so long as I tour a few galleries and try and network a bit." Aasha said, sipping at her bottle of water. "Hearing what happened to Artemis, it makes me long for family a bit more than usual too, so it all works out I suppose."

"Yeah, and speaking of things working out, I'm coming up with a plan, but I don't know how I feel about it yet. I might need you to talk me out of it." Barbara said, taking another bite of her wonderful sandwich.

"You think I can talk you out of it?" Aasha asked, legitimately puzzled. "I've never seen you talked out of anything you'd set your mind to."

Barbara nodded and considered her words. She was about to put a lot of power into Aasha's hands. "I'm putting a lot of trust in you with this, but you and Deke are both perfectly capable of talking me out of something. Just, remind me that I'm being self-destructive or I'm on a collision course, I'll listen to that."

Aasha nodded solemnly. She didn't understand how either of those phrases would get her to reevaluate herself, but she supposed it didn't matter. "Why are you trusting me with this?" she finally asked. "You're always so self-assured and strong."

"Because I love you Ash." Barbara replied simply, her tone of voice sounding more like Bruce that she'd ever be willing to admit. "Dad told me he used to say the same thing to my mother, you know, before." Barbara said "Ever since then, he's said it to me twice, and as mad as he was, it wasn't when he found out I'd put on the cowl."

"My goodness Babs, what could you have done to upset him that bad?" Aasha asked, learning more about her lover in the past few minutes than she had in the past few years. Apparently, her words last night had carried some weight she hadn't realized.

"I was a little bitch when I was younger Ash." Barbara said with an embarrassed shake of her head. "I got bored with gymnastics, school, basically a lot of things. I was getting picked on a lot for being so skinny and nerdy, so I started rebelling. Acting out, tried quitting gymnastics, all kinds of stuff. Dad was _so_ pissed when I skipped gymnastics too. I don't like to talk about it, but I was on track for the Olympics. That was the worst we'd ever fought. The other time was a boy I was smitten with. He had a record and of course I fell for that. I can't blame Dad for that one, and really, I'm glad he did it. I wouldn't be anywhere near what I am today."

"My goodness, and I thought I was awful." Aasha said, marveling at her redheaded love. "All I did was wear a Mohawk and hang out with punks and goths."

"You had a Mohawk? Wow, I'm sorry but I can't imagine it." Barbara said with a half a smirk. She was, of course, challenging her girlfriend to share more.

Aasha sighed and pulled up her phone. She spent some time digging around and then handed Barbara her Q-Phone. When she saw the picture of Aasha (who really had been flat as a pancake) with her hair in the classic punk style, wearing a lacy full length Victorian dress and spiked dog collar, she could only marvel at the difference. "Ash, wow. That's all I can say. I'll admit I love you still wear those dresses on occasion though."

"I wish I had more call to." Aasha replied. "The gallery isn't so keen on me in black lipstick and vampiric dresses unfortunately. I'll have to dress you similar so we can go to a good concert. We'd make _him_ pass out when he saw us."

"Ash, you're a genius." Barbara said, happy to have a break from the tension Artemis had brought. She would, of course, shoulder that burden for her friend, help in any way she could, but having a short break from it was perfectly welcome.


	13. Chapter 13

April 13th  
Gotham City  
1735 EST

He wasn't even in the building yet, and Deke could feel the weight of something in his home. Pausing and scratching his head, he pushed out, trying to make sure Barbara and Aasha were okay. It left him getting rained on as he stood on the steps to the apartment building, but that heavy weight was just so powerful. He decided it wasn't threatening after another minute or two, and walked inside, giving a nod to one of their neighbors.

 _Those three, living in such sin, their mothers would be ashamed…_

Well, that'd teach him not to keep his gain cranked so high next time. He just smiled at Missus Kaspbrak and walked up the stairs. Thinking on it, he wasn't entirely certain he'd ever even been inside the elevator of the building, which was kind of a shame really. The entire place had been remodeled a year before he'd moved to Gotham, and gotten a new façade even more recently, and it left the place looking like the epitome of classical Gotham City. Marble and subway tile competed with warm woods, giving the lobby a look straight out of the nineteen thirties, with a beautifully intricate pattern laid out on mosaic tile on the floor.

The building super had taken it one step further, investing in Edison bulbs so that the large columns in the lobby, as well as the tile, kept that warm and inviting look. Of all the places in the city, this one had become something of a work of historic art. "Good afternoon Mister Sheppard." Deke said, nodding at the elderly gentleman who lived a few floors down from them.

"Afternood to you too Doc." The man called back, tipping his Vietnam Veteran hat and carrying on about the business of taking his corgi for a walk.

"Not yet Sir, couple more years still." Deke drawled pleasantly enough, pausing to scratch the dog behind its ear. While not human, the animal still possessed a mind, and the contact with the pooch told Deke more than he'd expected. "When's Fogarty's next vet visit?" he asked, glancing up at his neighbor.

"Not for a few months, why?" Mister Sheppard said, giving Deke a puzzled look.

"Well, I work with people mostly, but he's acting a bit down. You might wanna get him in sooner if you can, make sure there's nothing wrong with him." Deke said, hoping there wasn't something exceptionally bad going on with the man's dog. Once Mister Sheppard had learned Deke was a corpsman's son and Navy brat, he'd glommed to him, but Fogarty had remained his most constant companion since the loss of his wife.

"I'll see to that, thanks Doc." Mister Sheppard said, and continued on his merry way, his thoughts already working to etch the need to call the vet into his brain. Deke just shook his head and carried on up the stairs. About the time he finished Medical School, the man would remember he wasn't a doctor, and they'd keep the verbal dance going even longer.

The rest of his trip up the stairs was quiet, but that same heavy pressure he'd not been able to escape was sourced within his apartment, and at the threshold to it, it was almost palpable. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he opened the door and stepped in. The first thing he saw was Barbara, who turned around on the couch to look at him, holding a finger against her lips.

Aasha pointed towards the bedroom, and laid her head on her hands in the near universal pantomime for sleeping. "You need to learn sign language." He signed to her, and hung up his stethoscope on the peg. Noticing a black leather motocross jacket hanging up gave him pause.

[We have company?] he asked, quickly linking the three of them.

[Artemis is asleep in our bed.] Barbara replied, and pointed towards the fridge. [Ash got you a sandwich, it's in the fridge. Your chips are on the counter.]

[Thanks Ash. Why is Artemis asleep in our bed? Is she okay?] He asked, not at all upset that she was in there. Despite her picking at him, it came from a place of kindness, not malice, and he genuinely liked her. She'd done wonders picking on Barbara about their relationship at a critical time. Without her, they might not be where they are today.

[You're welcome love. She's had a rough night.] Aasha replied, setting her Q-Pad aside. [She got some news that wasn't easy to hear.]

[Gonna keep me in the dark?] he asked, taking his roast pork with spicy lychee jam and swiss out of the fridge. Noticing half a pot of cold coffee, he grabbed the carafe and went to join the girls in the living space.

[It might be easier if I show you.] Barbara said, patting the couch cushion next to her. Deke sat his dinner down and then sat himself down, and took his beloved's hand. Within a few minutes, everything began flooding into his conscious mind, a living file transfer between two biological computers. Memories of Wally, who he'd met all of once, all of the elements of how he potentially connected to Scramble, his relationship with Artemis. All of it and it all confirmed what he'd been worried about weeks ago when he'd met the green and black speedster with more secrets to hide than Batman.

[Wow, that's always trippy.] He said across their link, trying to fit the jumbled pieces together into a more coherent series of ideas. He glanced towards the bedroom door for a moment and focused his senses more fully. [She's out like a damn light, and she's been asleep since what, noon?]

[Probably didn't sleep at all last night. She wasn't drinking that I could tell, but she cried herself hoarse.] Barbara said, a worried expression crossing her face again. [From experience, failing to cry yourself to sleep is miserable.]

[When did you try to cry yourself to sleep?] Deke asked, almost calling her a liar for it. He'd seen her cry, but never to that extent.

[Christmas Eve day.] Barbara replied, poking him in the abdomen. When Darkseid had come to visit Earth, still so recent Metropolis was still in the process of rebuilding. Also, the day he decided to get himself pimp slapped into a coma by the big monster himself. It explained why he didn't know about her having such a rough night.

[It was awful love, and I was right there with her.] Aasha said, walking past them towards the kitchenette. That explanation and the undercurrents it carried certainly helped enforce the weight of what they were trying to explain.

[Right, got it.] Deke said, giving another glance to the bedroom. Like a moment before, Artemis was well and truly out, experiencing REM sleep, so he rose, shucked himself out of his scrubs, and grabbed a pair of jeans and a tee shirt out of the hamper. He didn't need Artemis seeing him undressing, she'd already seen him naked (through a window and across the street, which was still bad enough), and her teasing would be merciless.

[How was work?] Aasha asked, coming back into the living space with the other half of her sandwich. Seeing Deke grab his food had made her hungry again.

[Dull, which is a plus in my profession. Worst thing I had to do was give a couple of vaccinations and wrap a sprained ankle. I wish it was always that easy.] He said, biting into his sandwich and remembering why they loved Mister Kwan's deli so much.

[Babe, can you not drink out of the pot please? You're going to burn yourself one of these days.] Barbara said, finally noticing him drinking straight from the carafe. She got up and grabbed a mug, and set it before him with a light plunking sound. [I'd prefer not having to take you to the hospital for third degree burns in your mouth, it'd put a definite damper on kisses.]

[Sorry.] Deke said sheepishly and poured the rest of the coffee into the mug she'd set down in front of him, before returning to his sandwich. 

* * *

It was a couple of hours later, when Artemis finally woke up. Glancing around, she saw she was still dressed, sans her boots, and laid out on a king sized bed. Outside, the midday rain had turned into a proper Gotham spring downpour. With a yawn, Artemis slipped out of the bed and peered out of the bedroom door.

Sitting in complete silence, Deke and Babs were embroiled in a video game while Ash was working on her tablet. When Babs turned to Deke and showed him the tip of her tongue, Artemis realized what was going on. "No psychic talking." She said, still a bit groggy.

"How'd you sleep Artemis?" Barbara asked, turning to look at her friend, who was currently making her way to the bathroom.

"Like a rock, but not enough. Can you handle the Birds tonight, or did you have plans?" Artemis said from within the bathroom before shutting the door. She handled her business and washed her hands, feeling more human already.

"I don't mind. Finals week starts in three days; I could use the stress relief before going into that." Barbara said. "It'd be good to get Flamebird and Huntress on a rain patrol too. Ash, you want to join us?"

The small woman considered it briefly. "I suppose I could." She said after a minute. "I'd like to properly meet Huntress and Flamebird. If it's all the same, I'm hoping it turns into nothing more than sitting in the rain a while."

"I'll follow you home if you want, Artemis." Deke offered. "If they're going to patrol, I'll head down to the Hacienda and see what's going on there."

Artemis grabbed her jacket and made a beckoning gesture to him. "C'mon Big Man," she said, using the words more as name than description now. "I'm sure I'm good, but let's not let Red get nervous."

Barbara showed the blonde woman the tip of her tongue and walked to her, giving her a tight hug. They whispered quickly to one another, which left Artemis giving a solemn nod. She then turned and wrapped her arms around her boy, giving him a loving squeeze. "I love you Cowboy." She said, nuzzling noses with him before planting a kiss on him as well.

"Love you too, babe. Call me if you need me." Deke said, and felt small arms around his middle. Looking down, he saw Aasha tilting her head up for a kiss. "And you too Ash." He added warmly.

Obliging her request for a kiss, he also gave her a good hug, and then beckoned for his long rider coat and hat. Tossing them and his tech glasses on, he smiled to both girls, and followed Artemis out the door. Quietly, and efficiently, they exited the building, Artemis taking the stairs down and Deke taking them up. When, several minutes later, Artemis peeled out of the parking garage, Deke launched himself high into the air and began pacing her.

[You doing okay?] he asked after a couple of blocks. She was driving fast, just under the attention of the Gotham Police, and taking turns a lot harder than she needed to, especially with the wet roads.

[Not exactly, no. Got a lot of stuff on my mind. Did Babs ask you to do this?] Artemis asked below, leaning almost to the asphalt to make a turn before coming back up and bending hard forward.

[No,] Deke replied, swooping below a high flagpole before rising back to a good cruising altitude. [This was all my idea. Just worried about you is all.]

[I'll be okay. Just got to sort through some stuff I suppose.] Artemis answered, deciding to have some fun with her escort by taking a sharp turn down an alley. Above her, Deke swore verbally, and turned hard, missing the side of a tall building by inches. [Nothing fell, I'll take that as a good sign.]

Deke just shook his head and kept pace, focusing in on her intent. Each switchback and turn she took was now telegraphed in enough time to keep him from smashing into a building at high speed. [Having fun?] he finally asked, several blocks later.

[Yeah, I am actually. Also, I'm two blocks from the apartment, so you're good to travel. I'll behave the rest of the way in.] She said, and true to her word, slowed her gray and green motorcycle down to more respectable speeds. At a red light, she paused and waved, glancing up to see her escort hovering. He waved back and then turned in place. For several seconds, nothing seemed to happen, until he launched off much faster than he'd been traveling before.

"As fast as Wally." Artemis murmured, driving off when her light turned green. She kept her promise and rolled along casually, parking her bike by her mother's apartment and finally pulling the distributor cap to discourage theft, before headed upstairs.

It was quiet in her mom's apartment. Her mother had finally started getting out again, and had been spending time a few blocks away at a small bookstore, helping out when the owner could pay her, and hanging out when they couldn't. The latter, unfortunately, was much more frequent, and her _father_ hadn't been too forthright with the money lately.

Sighing, Artemis tossed her jacket on the hook and walked into her darkened bedroom. She undressed slowly and pulled on an old red and white jersey, one of _his_ , and sat on the edge of her bed. Since the night before, her world had been in intense turmoil, leaving her emotional state somewhere in between overdrive and numb.

"God," She said, glancing up at the ceiling. "If this is some cruel joke, you better hope I wind up in Hell. Not that it'd matter, I feel like I'm already there."

All she could hear in response was Jake and Steve in the apartment next door, busy having very noisy sex. With a sigh, she laid down on her bed and just stared at the ceiling, willing the men next her to hurry up and finish, willing Babs to get an answer, willing the universe to stop tearing her apart, and in general, willing herself to just get back to sleep.

It was several long, lonely hours later before she got her wish.


	14. Chapter 14

April 13th  
Destin Florida  
1600 CST

"Okay chick," Maddie said, taking a deep breath before addressing Pacifica. "You and me need to talk this out."

Giving her a glance, Pacifica felt like it might not have been the best time. The woman had just Zeta'd in, and she was covered in some kind of green goo from whatever thing she'd been busy handling. "Would you like to clean up first?" Pacifica asked, setting her drink on the end table and using a coaster so that Kristof wouldn't have a fit about rings.

"Walk and talk, I'm using the muck shower in the laundry room." Maddie said, already heading that way and undoing the zipper on her uniform. By the time Pacifica had gotten up and joined her, she was fully undressed and standing there in the simple shower, getting blasted by the high pressure nozzle.

"I assume we are to speak about Liho?" Pacifica asked, sitting herself down on one of the washing machines.

"Sort of." Maddie said, grabbing the bulk sized bottle of shampoo and lathering her heavily highlighted hair, trying to scrub the remnants of the critter she'd stopped from eating an entire city in South Carolina. "More us, but because of him."

Pacifica nodded, for a moment casually taking in the other woman. She was certainly amply endowed both top and bottom, and seemed to have no concern for being seen in the nude. Objectively she was quite beautiful. "I would like that." She said simply, preferring to see where Maddie wanted to go with it.

"So, I'm not mad at you, okay? I know last month I was really bitchy and everything, but I was mad at myself. I let him go and that's on me. You didn't steal him from me or anything." Maddie said, her tone saying she was trying to convince herself, not Pacifica. "So, I'm not interested in fighting with you."

"That is relieving to hear. I much prefer our reckoning to be with words. To speak for myself, I was unaware that you possessed feelings for him. Had I known, I would have selected another." Pacifica said, her words coming from a place of honesty.

"Had I known, I would have made it clear." Maddie said with a shrug. She glanced at her hands and made a sour face at the green suds, before going back to scrubbing. "But, it is what it is. This whole thing is easy now, because I'm not looking at him, but when he comes around, it's still going to be hard for a while. Don't take it to mean I want to try taking him back or anything though, I'll lie in the bed I made."

"I understand. I held deep feelings for someone my first year in the Conservatory, but could not muster the courage to speak up. When he fell for another, it took a great deal of time for me to let go." Pacifica replied, watching the other woman scrub her hair with such vigor that she feared baldness would soon follow.

"Okay, so you get it, cool." Maddie said, deciding to rinse and repeat instead of rip her hair out. It was a mercy it was some kind of plant creature, so she didn't stink in addition to being covered by some kind of slime. "So, yeah, that's kinda what's up. No hard feelings, really. Not for you or him anyway."

"I thank you for this." Pacifica said. "Such behavior is both respectable and commendable. I admit, I was concerned though, surface women are rumored to be far more territorial than Atlantean women."

"Oh, that's not me chick." Maddie said, satisfied to see her hair rinsing out clear. "I'm about as far from territorial as you can get. In fact, I tried getting Liho into some group activities once or twelve times and he wouldn't have anything to do with it. There I was, all but throwing ass at him and he turned it down. So, you're lucky there."

"You offered other women to him?" Pacifica asked, surprised to hear that.

"Oh yeah. I'd been craving some girl for a while and I wasn't going to be stingy. You've never played around?" Maddie asked as she began lathering her body up, and wishing she had a sanding block instead of a shower pouf to use to scrub up.

"Once. I allowed a lover to convince me to try, but I did not feel as fulfilled." Pacifica said, a lavender blush rising to her cheeks. "So, I can say I have experimented but found the results less enjoyable."

"That's cute actually," Maddie said, scrubbing her body as aggressively as she had her hair. "You do know you're getting Mustang in this deal with Liho though, right?"

"I, I, no, I was not made aware of this. I was led to understand that he belonged to another. I believe I will need to have a conversation about this." Pacifica said, her lavender blush turning a furious violet.

"Oh, no no no, not like that!" Maddie said, holding her hands up to pause the Atlantean woman before her imagination threatened to kill her. "I don't mean sex, sheesh, that's what Beegee and Ash are for. No, Liho and Deke are the greatest bromance since Blake and Adam."

"I do not know what 'Bro-Mance' means." Pacifica said, slowly over-annunciating the word. "Nor am I familiar with those two people."

Maddie shook her head and rinsed the soap suds off her body. There was still a faint green staining where it had sat, but it was barely visible amidst the red marks where she'd scrubbed. With a sigh, she went back to it. "They're extremely tight, those two. Where we've been so busy lately it's hard to tell it, but put them in a room together, you could walk in naked and they wouldn't notice. Trust me, _I've done it_."

"I am not questioning your honesty, but I have a difficult time believing that." Pacifica said. While their time together on Themysicra had been woefully quick, Liho had proven himself to be a very attentive lover. "Though, Beegee has said they have wandered into traffic without concern for their safety before."

"There you go." Maddie said, feeling like she was about to peel skin if she kept it up, and moved on to conditioning her hair. Shaving would have to wait. Apparently, her legs and vag hadn't gotten the memo about adapting. "But seriously, you're lucky. Of all the men to pick, you chose a good one. A little too vanilla for something really long term, but that's my opinion. Speaking of though, you two already knocked it once didn't you?"

"If you're referring to sex, we did, on Themyscira. I have chosen to remain abstinent for the time being though, in an effort to know him better." Pacifica said, marveling at the refreshingly direct tone Maddie was taking with her. No beating about the kelp with that one.

"So, you're okay handing him? Dude's kinda got a gigantic cock." Maddie said with a reflexive grimace before changing her mind and grabbing a disposable razor. She could at least get her pits handled.

"Atlantean women are _quite_ flexible. I did not experience discomfort or difficulty." Pacifica said, feeling inwardly triumphant that she was able to do something Liho's former suitor seemed unable to do. She banished such petty thoughts however, they were certainly unbecoming.

"Doesn't hurt you're really tall either." Maddie said. At a much more surface normal height of five and a half feet tall, she was as short compared to Pacifica, as Ash was to Babs. "You're what, like, six three, six four?"

"I am one hundred eighty eight centimeters, yes. It is remarkably common for members of House Atua to be tall. I feel as though it makes me stand out even further among surface women in general, and especially so near Daeva. Is she uncommonly small?" Pacifica asked, trying to steer the conversation away from sex. Her choice to abstain occasionally bit her back.

"Oh yeah, she's itty bitty. Cute though." Maddie said, not even bothering to try and do the math. "Me, Ingrid, and Beegee, we're about average for surface women. Ingrid's on the taller end, I'm on the shorter."

"Very well. Speaking of Daeva, I do not understand her relationship with Mustang, and I have not had opportunity to ask them about it." Pacifica asked, remembering Liho gently pausing her when she was about to speak up.

Maddie shook her head. "It's weird, those three. Best to let it slide, they're not doing anything wrong." Maddie didn't add her continued jealousy at Aasha getting what she'd been trying for, for a couple of years. "Any more gossip you want?"

"Yes please. You seem quite content with Fujin." Pacifica said in a statement of fact. "Something which seems to set others at ease as well."

"Yeah, him. He's cute, and he's fun. I learned my lesson about treating people like sex toys but I'm not ready to label anything either. I suppose I'll keep him around as long as he stays entertaining or something else catches his eye." Maddie said, finally convinced she'd scrubbed the last of the plant creature's goo off of her.

Killing the water, she shook herself off and reached for a towel. Once she'd wrapped herself up, she tossed her costume into the industrial washer. "You're asking a lot but I still don't hear you offering much." She added with a sideways glance to Pacifica. Other than a couple of answers to point blank questions, she'd been listening far more than talking.

"I have little to tell. Surface media romanticizes nobility but the sad truth is that the lifestyle is exceptionally boring. There are certainly moments of less than respectable behavior, some of which is anecdotal, some of which I have witnessed firsthand, but even that is nothing compared to film, television, or books." Pacifica offered with a shrug of her slender shoulders, the motion causing her long blonde hair to sway gently.

"Okay, what about the Conservatory then? What was that like?" Maddie asked, deciding the point blank interrogation technique would be her go-to. While she asked, she was busy digging through laundry baskets, trying to find something that was actually hers. She could steal one of Mustang's shirts, but the fear of what Babs would do to her if she caught her stayed her hand.

"Oh, the Conservatory was a whole different matter entirely." Pacifica said, almost conspiratorially. She grabbed another wheeled basket, reminding her of the carts used in surface grocers (a place she was going to have to become better familiarized with, and soon.) and began trying to assist Maddie in finding clothes.

"Okay, don't leave me hangin' chick. What's the Conservatory like? Was Aqualad a wild man?" Maddie asked, finally finding a pair of underwear to slip on. They had to be hers; since she was convinced Ingrid wore petticoats or whatever the hell people used for underwear a hundred years ago.

"No, I have no good stories to tell of Kaldur'ahm. He was as studious and stalwart then as he is now. Moreso in fact. Tempest, who works for the Titans now I believe, he was another matter entirely. It took Tula to calm him enough to go from good to great. Is this one of your shirts?" Pacifica asked, briefly changing the subject and holding up a pinstriped tank top.

"Yes it is," Maddie said, pulling it so that she could transition her towel to her hair. It left her in panties and that shirt, but if one were being honest, it was a lot more modest than she generally worried about. "So, he was wild huh? Anyone else?"

"Many. For several, the Conservatory was an opportunity to truly make something of one's self. For others, it was a waypoint into proper adulthood. This is especially true for many scions of the Atlantean houses. Tula, like Kaldur'ahm, was not of noble blood and so they properly respected their time there. Tempest and several others were less inclined to good behavior. I can recall quite accurately an instance where they were responsible for vandalizing some of the art frescoes within the Conservatory. The results were, shall I say, scandalous?" Pacifica said, absently scratching at the corner of a gill. She'd need to take a swim soon.

"So, the rich brats didn't care, is what I'm hearing here. What about you though? You didn't fall for that?" Maddie asked, pulling on a pair of capris and struggling to get them past her behind.

"I am loathe to discuss this for several reasons, but yes, I too was less than exemplary. I showed little concern until Mera reminded me of my obligations, and none too gently. It was _not_ a conversation of noblewomen. To this day my knee still aches in colder thermoclines." Pacifica explained, not enjoying dredging that memory up.

"The Queen schooled you? What got her so interested?" Maddie asked, deciding their laundry room was where this conversation needed to take place, and perching on a dryer to get comfortable to continue it.

"The reason I am loathe to mention this. Mera is my cousin. Not so close enough to make me a legitimate heiress without dramatic upheaval and loss, but a cousin nonetheless. It is not a secret, but I prefer not to mention this to avoid questions to which I lack the answers." Pacifica replied with a sigh. "I will not divulge the private details of the King and Queen, which is just as well, as I do not know these details either."

"Hey, I'm not worried about it." Maddie said, feeling considerably more comfortable around the woman she'd originally viewed as competition. When Liho showed up next, that would be the next test, but she had some time to prepare for that at least. "So, you get straightened out and do the good girl bit. Is that why you had to take a husband, some weird Atlantean punishment?"

Pacifica shook her head. "No, my need to take a husband is due to my obligations to House Atua, and part of the ancient laws of nobility. Also, loneliness is a very real source of sorrow among the titled. I, and all those younger than me, enjoy the decree made by King Orin, that we may choose spouses outside of noble line. Many will still choose to marry within, but I chose to exercise my new freedom."

"Did you pick Liho then? We heard the Queen did that." Maddie asked, drawing her feet up beneath her and watching Pacifica slip lightly onto a washer directly across her. That her butt was several inches higher made the task much easier.

"She did. House Atua had direct influence with the ancient Polynesian cultures. To this day, many traditions unique to my house are mirrored in the modern islands and their peoples. For example, the women of House Atua learn to dance at a very young age. I believe the surface word is hula, though the techniques have diverged considerably." Pacifica said, looking a bit distant in reminisce. Those were certainly easier times. "So, Mera recommended Liho as he would have much more in common with me than any other suitor who pleased my eye."

"I feel that. Good wingmate, your Queen. What _is_ Pacifica's type exactly?" Maddie asked, feeling like she should be interviewing for GBS.

"I am cursed that I prefer men taller than me, when my family is quite tall to begin with. Also, I enjoy tattoos. Each one tells a story, and those stories fascinate me. The same could be said for piercings as well. I notice you have a few. What are their stories?" Pacifica said, expertly turning the conversation around back onto Maddie.

"If they tell stories, they're all porn, if I'm being honest, well, except my ears. Those were just because. It's common for surface women and all. My belly button was because it's seen as attractive and it would catch an eye. My tongue, since you asked, is to make giving head more interesting, and my hood piercing because it feels good when it gets played with." Maddie said.

"Giving head?" Pacifica asked with an arch of a delicate eyebrow.

"Blowjob, going down, oral sex? Any of these ringing a bell?" Maddie asked. At Pacifica's head shake, she opened her mouth appropriately, stuck her tongue into her cheek, and made the proper accompanying hand motions.

"Fellating, yes, I understand that. English is a very difficult language." Pacifica said, the impromptu demonstration finally clicking the light on for her. "I admire that you would choose to change your body in a way to offer more pleasure to a lover. It demonstrates an unselfish attitude."

"Well, I suppose, yeah, when you put it that way. I want to get my nipples done, but my skin has gotten tougher and tougher. I had to do my own hood since the piercing artist I was dating wasn't strong enough to get the needle in. I don't even know if there's a needle out there that can do the job. That and Beegee got hers done and I don't want to look like I'm copying her style." Maddie said, wondering if she should have even mentioned that one. She'd noticed the rings printing on her shirt at Deke's birthday party and hadn't had the time to ask.

"House Atua counts several artisans of body modification within its ranks. My Great Aunt is responsible for the tattooing done to the sorcerers of Atlantis in fact. I am certain we could devise a way to allow you to do what you would like." Pacifica said, her tone relaxing a bit more.

"You'd do that? After the way I'd been acting?" Maddie asked, genuinely surprised. Gossiping was one thing, but this was a whole other. Pacifica came across as someone who was genuinely sweet-hearted and all, but offering the resources of her house just so Maddie could get some hood ornaments seemed a bit strong.

"Yes, Godiva, I would. You acted out because you were hurt, and you have taken steps to make this right. I admire that, but more than that, you seek to find your real self. That is why we take body modification seriously. At birth, we are blank, and unwritten. By making these changes to ourselves, we are able to catalogue ourselves, and share what we have learned." Pacifica said, taking a much longer look at the woman who'd not that long ago seemed to be competition.

"That's, wow chick, thanks. I'll take you up on that one day. You seem to be a blank canvas though, what's with that?" Maddie said, gesturing at the other woman's deep bronze skin, which seemed unmarred by anything.

"I will pierce my navel as a symbol of union when that time comes, and I have my ears currently adorned." Pacifica said, referencing the thick wood spirals in her ears. She was easily gauged to at least a four if not bigger. "And my tattoos are my masterpiece. Kaldur'ahm's art is permanently visible because he did not complete his training. I have over a dozen layers, each one unseen until I must call on them to assist me in channeling the correct energies. I fear you will see them all before our time is finished." Pacifica said. "Mera's fury is a sight to behold, though you will understand if I do not wish a warranting situation upon anyone or any place."

"I'll bet. I can't get tattoos either, my skin rejects the ink within a couple of hours, just pushes it right out, but that's whatever. Everyone and their brother has tattoos any more. Hell, Kris has one, not that he'd ever show it off on purpose." Maddie said, shaking her head.

"Speaking of Fractal, was he not to join us today?" Pacifica asked, the realization that he wasn't there finally dawning on her. "I was looking forward to getting to sit and talk to him at length."

"He took a personal day. I've got the Hacienda until Mustang or Daeva show up. It's a girl's club today. Me, you, and Ingrid's in the shop. Not that there isn't anything the three of us can't handle." Maddie said with a dismissive shrug.

"I agree. We are bad bitches." Pacifica said with the most endearing tone of voice. "Did I say that right?"

"Yeah, you said it right." Maddie said with a snicker.

"Why are you laughing?"


	15. Chapter 15 (A Solitary Lemon)

April 13th  
Destin Florida  
1705 CST

The autohammer was cheating, of course. There were a dozen manual hammers, ranging from European to Japanese styles hanging off the side of the anvil, but when it came to setting a forge weld, precision always won out over tradition. Ingrid withdrew the big ingot of Damascus, sprinkled a good bit of anhydrous borax on it, and set it back in the forge.

As she waited for it to come up to welding temperature, she pulled up the hem of her dress and wiped her face clean of sweat for the hundredth time. It was hot in the shop of course, she always shut herself in when she worked, but it was more than that. That autohammer had been sending the impact vibrations up her arms and into her body all day, and horny wasn't the word to describe her mood.

Though, due to her requirements, horny was almost a daily thing for her. Part of the ongoing test of her powers was to resist the temptation. "Grrrrrrrr!" she exclaimed, wanting very badly to hit something and not really inclined to wait on the steel to come to temperature before she did it. While she waited, she stalked the floor of the shop, trying to keep her mind off of her body.

The walls were hung with several weapons. Swords, knives, and axes of various cultures, maces, flails, a solid steel tetsubo she'd made that only Godiva or Koa would be able to properly wield. Most of them were wasters, simply handy when she needed something to hit something else with. A few others were almost art pieces, any one of which would fetch over a thousand dollars on the market.

She ran her hands down the haft of a war hammer, feeling the polished smooth wood slip under her fingers, and immediately withdrew her hand. Another growl and a few swears escaped her lips, and she stomped her way back to the forge. She had all the opportunity to have what she wanted. Many men found her muscled physique attractive, and any one of them could show her what she was missing, and with no basis of comparison, it could only be good. It had to be.

Several agonizing minutes longer, and she withdrew the ingot of pattern welded steel, and completed the process of turning it into a homogenous piece of metal, not at all enjoying the impact of the autohammer as she drew the ingot into a bar.

Upon completion, she set the bar on the anvil to air cool, and walked over to the small sink. She couldn't help but smile at her reflection in the mirror. Her fair skin was beet red, soaked in sweat, and covered in soot. She was absolutely filthy and she _loved_ it. Her mass of very unruly red hair hung limply, framing her obviously Nordic features. "Don't panic." She said to herself in a passable Scottish accent, and shook her head at herself as she washed her hands clean with pumice soap.

What she planned to do next required clean hands.

Once she was satisfied, she checked the lock on the workshop door, and pulled up the old rolling chair in the corner. Ingrid bunched up the skirt of her simple dress and plopped herself down unceremoniously, and turned to put her back to the door.

With no fanfare, she tugged her very plain cotton briefs away from her sex, letting them fall around her ankles, before running her hands through the thick tangle of bright red hair between her legs. She let the fingers of her left hand get bound up in, and tugged at it, exposing her virgin sex more thoroughly, before sliding her right hand down.

Delicately, she slid a finger up her wet slit and let a slow exhale leave her body as she took the time to savor every single sensation. Again, she repeated the motion, dipping just a bit further into her sex, letting the pad of her middle finger grow slick. She could feel the throbbing in her button, matching her elevated pulse rate, but chose to avoid touching herself there yet.

Instead, she continued to explore the valley created by her inner lips, skating her fingertip along the soft pink skin. She moaned quietly as she did, trying to keep her voice low in the event someone from the team were outside or looking for her. This time was for her, and her alone.

As Ingrid kept up her attention, her thoughts drifted as they often did. She brushed her inner folds to one side or the other, feeling where they joined with her outer lips and the red forest surrounding them. First her mind went to the most convenient. Koa, so big and muscled but thoughtful, surely he knew how to celebrate what it was to be a man, and also how to join a woman in celebrating what it meant to be a woman.

Another fingertip through her valley, just parting her lips far enough to begin exposing her depths. Will, so worldly and well-traveled, the things he must have learned to do for a lover had to be exhilarating and fulfilling, techniques from the far east that were unheard of elsewhere.

She pushed a finger in further, beginning to stroke the deepest petals of her outer sex, using almost the full length of her finger to keep that pressure on. Mustang perhaps, with the kind eyes? He was psychic, he had to know what his lover wanted at any moment, and he seemed so caring and considerate for the needs of others.

But it was Fractal where her fleeting thoughts turned solid. Not ideas, but real theory. She began handling herself more vigorously, pressing down hard when her mind went to Kristof as it always did. There was something behind those mysterious eyes. Secrets deep and untold, things she desperately wanted to know.

Before long, she'd dug her finger into herself, aggressively massaging her inner walls. She knew her body perfectly, having gotten so acquainted with it out of necessity, and backed off before she concluded her festivities too soon. Instead, she went back to the outside, spread her lips quite far apart, and began stroking the entirety of her sex in a slow up and down manner.

It was forbidden for her to have a man the way she wanted, but if she was going to lose her powers and become just another woman, she wanted it to be with Kris. That mystery, the mournful eyes, they were too much to ignore. Of all of the men within her reach, he had to understand a woman's body the best.

The throbbing became too much to ignore as she busied herself in the task of self-pleasure, so with fingertips trailing her dew, she began massaging her button. A shiver and near silent moan escaped her lips when that sensitive bundle of nerves got triggered. In short order, aggressive went to near self-abusive, as she bore down hard on her sex, furiously rubbing on her button and tugging hard at the soft red hair she never felt the need to do anything with.

Her voice grew louder whether she liked it or not, rising high in pitch as she panted and whined. She released her grip on her hair and grasped at her breast, kneading and massaging it beneath the soft fabric of her dress. Too hard, she pinched at her nipple, bringing a squeaking whimper to her lips. Still, this didn't stay her hand, instead it drove her forward. With her legs beginning to quiver and the mysterious blue eyes of Kris on her mind, she just kept pushing on.

When the instant struck, her finger immediately dipped deep within her, wishing it were him, and began vigorously stroking her inner walls, carrying her from a finish to a legitimate, unmistakable orgasm.

Ingrid threw her head back and released one long clarion call to the heavens as her body exploded at her own touch. It wasn't enough, it never really was, so she didn't stop, she didn't slow down, instead, she kept going.

That explosion turned into two, as she kept bringing herself closer and closer to Freya, the Goddess of Love and War. Her muscles began screaming at the involuntary reactions even as her fingers grew wetter and slicker at her own body, begging to be filled. To distract from it, she drove her middle and ring fingers within herself as deep as they'd go, and began working on herself to the maximum of her abilities.

The effect was stunning, almost literally, when what she decided was enough finally struck her. She slumped from her chair still panting and moaning, falling on her bottom as she let her hands slow and relax. Her limbs were nearly numb from her treatment on herself, and it took several minutes before she was able to stand.

"Well, I feel better now." She said to nobody in particular, and went to clean herself up. Another glance in the mirror showed about what she'd expected, the soot on her chest mingled with sweat, leaving lines of clean, flushed skin on her still heaving breasts. Her fingertips had begun to prune from being kept so wet, and her hair, already limp, was nearly soaked from that same sweat.

Ingrid blew out a long, slow breath as she washed her hands again. Her heartbeat had begun to calm down, which gave her the clarity that was almost as good as the orgasm that had preceded it. Kris wasn't a need, he was a want, and no matter how powerful, she _needed_ the blessings of the Valkyrie to continue doing her work. The world was more important that one more normal woman, and no matter how much love, affection, and loyalty she might have to show, she was able to make sure everyone else could have that love. And besides, she didn't need sex to show those feelings, nor did she need a monogamous partner for that matter. Without the tether of physical intimacy, she was free to love as she liked.

She paused on her way to the door to grab her discarded panties, not entirely certain at what point she'd kicked them off. Absently, she pushed her rolling chair back into its corner, though she took the time to remind herself to replace the thing soon. She had a bedroom and a bathtub for such activities, why was she always doing her jilling in the workshop?

"Hello Ingrid!" Pacifica greeted when she walked into the Hacienda a few minutes later. "Was your time in the shop productive?"

"Yeah, sure was." Ingrid said with a lopsided grin. "Oh, hello Mustang, I didn't know you were here." She added, seeing her male teammate sitting on the sofa with his laptop, apparently doing something that required focus.

"Just got here actually." He said, looking away from the machine for a minute. He was about to go back to it, but set the computer aside a minute. "Say, Ingrid, I meant to ask you yesterday, but if I gave you some metal, you think you could make some use of it?"

"It's kind of a thing I do, yes. What kind of metal are you talking about? It all reacts differently and requires different approaches." She asked, puzzled at him. He seemed more interested in food than anything else one could create.

"So a while back, I got called out to catch a meteor that was about to smash Saint Petersburg Russia. The scientists that collected it once I grabbed it were really grateful and stuff, and they gave me like ten kilos of it. I've just had it sitting there in my room gathering dust." He offered with a shrug, acting like it was nothing special at all that he'd done such a task.

"Ten kilos of meteor iron?" Ingrid asked, blinking. "You do understand that's worth over two hundred thousand US, right?"

"Damn, no, I didn't. Kris got a mess of it too but I think he's been experimenting with his. You want some of it?" He asked. Sitting on the other end of the couch from him, Maddie just stared at him, open mouthed.

"What? It's not like there's a thriving meteor iron market or something out there. What the hell else am I gonna use it for besides a paperweight?" He said in answer to her unasked question. "Ingrid can turn it into something badass."

"I can certainly try. How about this? I'll take three kilos. That's a fair sword and a couple of knives if I'm careful with how I shape and measure things. You sell some of that though, okay? I'm using almost seventy thousand US worth of it and the things I'm making can't have provenance of material established because of some of the stuff in the workshop. Get _some_ kind of profit out of it." Ingrid suggested, her heartrate climbing back up steadily at the prospect of pounding space metal into weapons. _That_ would certainly attract Freya's favor.

"Uhm, sure." He said with a shrug. "I suppose I could sell it to STAR labs. They didn't get any of it and I think they're sore about it."

"You do that. I'm done in there for the day, but tomorrow I'll gather it from you and start setting up the furnace. I'm thinking tamahogane style is the way to go to smelt it. I could use wootz style, but something about using a crucible to draw out the impurities versus pounding them out seems insulting to meteor iron." She said, more to herself than anyone else, her gears already turning.

"Whatever you say." He said with a shrug. "Like I said, it'll get used this way. Nag Kris first though, he might have some he's willing to part with too. Get you an axe or something while you're at it."

"Deke, you're effectively talking dirty to the poor girl." Maddie said. "Don't be so mean. I'll tell Beegee on you."

"Right, yeah, sorry." He said sheepishly. "Anyways, there's that. I've got to finish this paper on the Atlantean immune system, and once it's done I'm making dinner, so I hope you worked up an appetite in there."

Again, with that lopsided grin. "Yeah, I certainly did." She said, and silently cursed herself for behaving like that around a psychic. "I'll be bathing if anyone needs me." She added, and hustled up the stairs before she got herself into a hole she couldn't climb out of.

"I like her, but she gets strange." Deke said, double checking his sources and citations. "Pacifica, can I film an interview with you for this paper?"


	16. Chapter 16

April 27th  
Destin Florida  
0825 CST

Aasha awoke with a small yawn and stretched her arms out, letting the springtime sun strike her bare chest. Her hair, silky soft it might be, had become an unruly mess in her sleep, so she tossed it out of the way, and sat there for a minute before fully coming alive. Beside her, Deke lay quietly sleeping, which he deserved after the night they'd had.

Running a finger just over the outline of bruising on his torso, and making a face at the swelling in his jaw and cheekbone, Aasha remembered vividly the way he'd tangled with Grodd the night before in Louisiana. Stalemating the ape's telepathic abilities had been critical, but it had left Deke unable to properly focus as much on his more combative applications, meaning he'd been turned into the thing's punching bag until she and Fujin had been able to shake the beast's minions and help their teammate out.

"She's going to have someone's arse." Aasha said quietly, hoping it wasn't anyone on the Movers, very specifically hers. She couldn't spare any additional lounging though, as the morning was carrying on with or without her.

As quietly as possible, she slipped into his bathroom, handled her business, threw on yesterday's shirt, and began brushing her hair out while sitting at his desk. While she worked the tangles out of her hair, she absently thought about Barbara, back in Gotham with the Birds of Prey. It reminded her that in the two and a half years of her relationship with them, she'd never once fought crime with her girlfriend. That thought left her feeling a little conflicted as to whether she should be upset or not. On the one hand, she felt like it was a part of her life that she wasn't sharing, and on the other hand, it felt like it was a part of her life she was insulating Aasha from.

Given the experience she had with the Joker not that long ago, that level of insulation might be considered a great kindness. While the fight itself had been a bit demanding, it was everything afterwards, that fear and second guessing, that had made it so terrible. "Sod it." She said quietly, deciding it was far too beautiful a morning to waste it worrying herself into the dirt.

"Sod what?" She heard from the bed. Glancing over with a warm smile, she saw her boyfriend? Lover? _Special friend_? What the hell was he to her? Whatever she was going to call him, he was rolled over on his side and looking at her with his one unswollen eye. "And what _is_ sodding anyway? Is this a fuck it situation?"

"Exactly that love." She said, setting her brush down and walking over to him. "How are you feeling?" she asked, placing a gentle kiss on the undamaged portion of his face.

"Like shit if I'm being honest." He said, his words coming out muffled, like he'd just left the dentist's office, which really, he probably should consider visiting after being drilled in the face by an angry gorilla.

"How about you get your morning routine handled and I'll see if you have any leftover meds to take." Aasha suggested. "I thought I saw a few bottles in your nightstand with a couple left in them."

Deke nodded. "Thanks sweetie." He said, slipping gingerly out of bed. "How about you tell Babs what happened though?"

"Oh I'm not that foolish." Aasha said wisely, watching him step into his small bathroom. While he was in there, she opened his nightstand and pulled out the pill bottles, setting them on his desk. Once that was done, she opened his dresser and laid out clothes for him, leaving her feeling like a good little girl.

Exiting his bathroom, Deke paused to painfully smile at her thoughtful behavior, using his telekinetics to gently brush her cheek, before popping a Norco. "I'm getting tired of getting my ass kicked Ash. I really am."

"It was a win love. Grodd couldn't get his army of people close enough to Belle Reve to do any damage. It might have been a thrashing, but at least it wasn't worse." Aasha countered, handing him his shirt and watching him dress. She was about to go ahead and finish getting dressed when there was a knock at the door, so she quickly darted to the bed and covered herself to the waist before Deke made a motion with his hand, causing the door to open.

"I have bad news." Kris said, looking terribly unhappy. "It seems there _was_ a breakout at Belle Reve."

* * *

The surveillance video the entire team was watching was something out of Hollywood. Teth Adam hadn't been in the prison more than an hour before Blockbuster had decided to pick a fight with him. When the nearby guard tried triggering his collar he accidentally deactivated it, leaving Adam able to slip his mouth past the gag and speak the word that returned him to his full, righteous glory, which came complete with growing big enough to blow the Teth Adam sized collar right off his Black Adam sized neck, before the guard could reactivate it.

From there, things had gotten worse, and fast. He'd beelined to the warden's office, with nothing there to stop him, and had deactivated the collars of the prisoners, similar to the previous breakout. Only this time, he'd ripped them apart instead of an ice villain freezing them.

"This was less than an hour ago. The Justice League is already in the process of tracking down the escapees." Kris said after getting up from the sofa and turning to face his team, signing for Scramble's benefit. "Black Adam, Blockbuster, Icicles Senior and Junior, Ojo, Killer Frost, Monsieur Mallah and the Brain, Giganta, Merlin, Cheetah, and Bane have so far eluded them. The rest never had a chance to leave the state before recapture."

"So, Adam's out again. Lady G, you gonna look for round two?" Liho asked from his seat on the sofa. He was trying desperately to engage her in conversation, hoping and praying she didn't hate him.

"I wasn't looking for round one." She replied, the concern in her voice evident. If she ran into him again, he likely wouldn't present near the opportunity to cheap shot him. "What's the plan anyways?" she added, looking at Kris.

"I'm dividing us into partners and we're aiding the search. Daeva, you and Pacifica are Alpha. Lady G and Shield Maiden are Bravo. Koa and Fujin are Charlie. Scramble and I will be Delta." He said, and then turned to look at the last remaining member. "Mustang, you're benched. I'm sorry, but you had to know it was coming."

Deke nodded, his expression gloomy. Any one of those villains except Black Adam wouldn't give him the slightest challenge. In fact, he'd been hoping for a change to tangle with Bane, purely to look cool to his fiancé. "Yeah," he mumbled. "I gotcha; I'll hang here and try and organize stuff."

* * *

An hour later, Deke was sitting in front of the holographic computer display, drinking his breakfast through a straw, and in the process of running an IV line into his own forearm. Behind him on an IV tree hung a bag of glucose, a bag of saline, and a banana bag, full of vitamins and other necessary nutrients.

On the screen, he watched the map of the Southern US, Caribbean, and Northern Mexico. There were eight red dots in four pairs, marking the location of his team as they assisted the manhunt for the escaped prisoners. Occasionally, he cycled through weather data, hoping to catch a temperature dip that would signal the Icicles or Killer Frost.

With a telekinetic flick of his fingertips, he started the solutions, and grimaced at the cold liquid entering his veins, before he began the onerous (and decidedly unpleasant) task of healing himself while conscious.

It was boring, of course. It seemed like the escapees that had eluded initial capture had just vanished. Pacifica and Aasha were still at Belle Reve, working some kind of sorcery to track them, but even that had yielded no results. He was about to ask everyone for reports, more to break the monotony, when a video call came in on an encrypted line.

"Hi you." He said, the moment Batgirl's image resolved itself in the holographic display. He smiled as brightly as possible, but the frown on her face said it was clear she'd seen the damage Grodd had left on him in full 4k definition.

"Hi Cowboy," she began, forcing a smile. "You doing okay?"

"Gettin' there." He said, unable to stop fiddling with a loose molar with his tongue. He desperately hoped his self-healing would put that back in place. "What's up?"

"Artemis and I are helping the search, but so far it's more bad news. Grodd was broken out of the jail before he'd even woken up from Aasha frying him. Giganta apparently ripped the roof off of the jail and carried him out." She said with an unhappy tone.

"Great," he mumbled. "Wait, how'd she know where to find him? Louisiana State Police had him collared less than six hours before the breakout. I doubt anyone besides the cops knew where he was."

"We're at the parish jail he was being temporarily kept in now. Get this, myrrh oil." She said, reminding him of the theft of the Tarrasque decoy. "I've got a bad feeling things are about to get worse. Superman has been scanning the area and he's got nothing, which leads me to think that someone was waiting on them."

A blip on the screen interrupted his response. "Hang on, got another call." He said, and flicked his finger across the appropriate section of holograph. Immediately, a video communication from Aasha and Pacifica came into view.

"Mustang, we have performed divinations and have discovered a source of spatial magic. The signature is unfamiliar and was extremely weak. Had Daeva not assisted me, I doubt it would have been discovered at all." Pacifica said, seeming perfectly comfortable in the Louisiana bayou. Aasha, right next to her, seemed absolutely miserable.

"Okay, Batgirl, did you get that?" He asked, not entirely certain how the video calls worked, so used to being on the other end of them.

"I am not Batgirl." Pacifica said, a confused expression crossing her face.

"Shit, hang on." He replied, looking around the control 'board' trying to determine how to switch feeds. "This sucks." He mumbled.

"Three by three square, left hand side. There should be as many green squares as you have open channels." Aasha said patiently, only able to imagine how everything looked on his end, and keeping her amusement to herself. There was a time to be bratty but this wasn't it.

"Oh, right," he said with a frown, hitting the button. "Okay, Batgirl, did you get that?" he asked, keying the switch.

"I'm not Batgirl." Green Arrow said with a snicker when the third video screen opened. "Though she's not the worst person I've been compared to. I'd like to speak to Fractal please."

"Sorry Arrow, I can't figure this thing out, hang on please." Deke said, almost smacking himself in the head before he paused his hand. A ballistic facepalm right now would hurt a whole lot worse than usual.

He flicked his left hand across the control panel again, this time taking an opportunity to look at the keys, before hitting the first button. "Please be Batgirl." He said, almost as much to himself as everyone else.

"It's me Cowboy." She said with a patient smile. "Having trouble?" She asked, glancing over to her left and making a face. Apparently, Artemis found it funny or something. When he nodded with a melancholic face, she messed around on her wrist computer for a minute. Almost immediately, the images organized themselves and the mute came off of all of them. "Conference function, there you go."

"Whew, okay. Daeva and Pacifica found faint magical traces near where the Hall of Injustice stood. Giganta sprung Grodd already. Green Arrow, I have no idea how to link you to Fractal." He said, wincing as he spoke. He'd done enough self-healing to purge the painkiller he'd taken, but not enough to take care of Grodd's vandalism to his body.

For a minute, all of the people stood there quietly, none of them seeming interested in trying to talk over everyone else. It was Green Arrow who broke the silence. "I'll have the Watchtower connect me to him, and I'll have Doctor Fate meet you ladies in the bayou. Hold your position, he'll be along shortly." He said, and fortunately, he didn't seem pissed about it. After a moment, his communication ended.

"We'll go ahead and meet up with them there." Batgirl said, a lovingly patient expression on her face, similarly terminating her end of things. It left him looking at Pacifica and Aasha.

"We'll just wait here then." Aasha said, glancing around. "There's a button labeled Help, love. You might wish to do some learning while you wait."

Aasha was about to giggle, not really meaning to, when the sour and none-too-happy expression on his face gave her pause. She didn't at all like it when he was frustrated or angry, and this seemed to be one of those moments. "Sorry love. We'll keep you in the loop." She said finally, and also ended their call.

"Now I'm bored." Deke said, and leaned back into his chair, casually going through the help files and tutorials while he waited on some kind of news. Written by Kris specifically in the ten thousand most common words in the English language, the information wasn't at all difficult to comprehend, but there was _so damn much_ of it.

This went on for quite a while, long enough that his IV bags had emptied. Pulling the line, he set everything off to the side, feeling a lot better than he had when he woke up. He still didn't feel back to a hundred percent, but any progress was better than none at all.

To keep busy, he blew up the display, showing the map in much greater detail, and zoomed in on the location of Daeva and Pacifica's call. Sure enough, Artemis, Batgirl, and Doctor Fate were also there, their icons moving about faintly, just enough to show the basic milling about people did when they conversed. As he watched, however, the icon that represented Doctor Fate vanished.

Now, that was odd. Deke zoomed the map out until he was looking at a global representation, and began spinning it around, finally finding Doctor Fate's icon somewhere in the middle of nowhere Australia. Zooming back in, he tightened up to a square mile radius, and then saw the satellite icon pop up, meaning there was coverage of the area.

With a shrug, he flicked the button and saw Fate standing there in the red desert, glancing around. This went on for several minutes, before he opened another magical ankh and stepped back through it. Instead of following him, Deke kept on the area and zoomed in to the tightest magnification the satellite would allow.

"Piece of crap Chinese spy satellite." He mumbled, unable to get better resolution.


	17. Chapter 17

April 28th  
Undisclosed Location  
1730 Zulu

"The last time you had us sitting together at a table, things didn't go so well for us Luthor." Ocean Master said, casting a sidelong glare at Black Manta, who was responding in like. The sheer amount of resources it had taken to break him out of the Atlantean prison complex he'd been held in was near unspeakable.

"You're right, it didn't." Lex Luthor replied quite genially. He glanced at the rest of the villains he'd gathered. Grodd, Merlin, Grundy, Ra's, and Devastation were sitting with Manta and Ocean Master, while a recent contact, Sinestro, was communicating via video link, as was Vandal Savage, and Klarion. "And I'm man enough to admit my mistakes. They happen so rarely it's almost worth marking a calendar for."

"Enough bravado." Sinestro replied tartly. "What do you want with us?" he asked. Any opportunity to harm Green Lanterns was enough for him, but he wouldn't tip his hand so quickly.

"That bears a bit of explanation." Luthor began, steepling his fingers. "I'd assumed, for many years now, that Superman was the lynchpin of the Justice League. When I reviewed our successes and failures, however, I kept arriving at one conclusion. It's not Superman we need to worry about. It's Batman."

"He's just a man," Merlin argued from beneath his dark hood. "Superman is a God among mortals. Batman might be quite exceptional, but there's nothing about him that threatens us as a whole."

"You've been harassing the Green Arrow for so long Merlin; that I don't think you properly understand the danger the Batman poses. He's consistently figured us out, evaded assassination attempts, and in general bedeviled his enemies every step of the way. More importantly, however, is his ability to deconstruct a situation and apply resources correctly. Once he's been eliminated from the picture, the remainder of the League will topple."

"The chil… younger heroes have proven more instrumental in our defeats than the League in recent memory Luthor. Perhaps we should continue to target them instead." Vandal said from his video link.

"You're correct, as usual, Vandal, and efforts to do so will be heard and implemented, but I cannot stress enough, Batman is the primary target." Luthor said, still in that same genial tone. He worked hard to cultivate the image of a magnificent bastard after all, and letting it slip just wouldn't do.

"So, Grundy crush Batman?" Solomon Grundy asked, scratching his ghostly pale chin.

"Eventually yes, we'll all have our parts to play. Allow me to illustrate my plan and perhaps things will become more clear. You see, targeting Batman directly has proven to be a fool's errand on more than one occasion. No, we must target Gotham, and the city itself will be his undoing." Lex explained, tapping a few keys. "Merlin, I believe you recognize these from your failed attempt at _urban renewal_ in Star City?"

A hologram popped up showing the seismic generators that Merlin had tried using a few years prior, but the schematic diagrams began shifting in a very technical manner. The generators seemed to break apart and reconfigure themselves into a much more compact package. "I see you've re-engineered my design." Merlin replied.

"I have, and there are already almost forty of these hidden within Gotham city. Now, they're considerably less powerful, but even half that number is wisely redundant. There's no way that all of them could be found and deactivated before the first step is complete." Luthor said.

"So, you shake the city apart, and what then? Hope that the collected inmates of Arkham do what they do best?" Ocean Master asked.

"Yes, exactly. Since Gotham is a series of islands, it will give you and Manta plenty of opportunity to enjoy yourselves as well. Coupled with everyone else, and you see where I'm going." Luthor replied.

"Oh the chaos!" Klarion all but cried out. "It'll be _glorious_!"

"It will indeed. The Justice League will be so tied up in trying to contain the damage, and without Batman's help, they'll be perfectly vulnerable." Luthor said. "And then the real work begins. We have more help, waiting nearby, who will assist those inmates in ensuring Batman is busy for too long to do anything about us."

Ra's eyed his business partner with an appraising glance he'd developed over millennia. "Darkseid will want his revenge, but I can't be certain he's ready now. What's your endgame Luthor?"

"With so many super powered people tearing around and through Gotham, it will be nothing for me, in my position as UN Secretary General, to start the ball rolling on a global initiative to begin registering and cataloguing superhumans. It will take time, but eventually, enhanced individuals performing vigilante justice will become outlawed. This allows us to consolidate our own individual power bases without interference. I think we can all be civil enough to conduct this business without any real interference from one another." Lex said in his perfectly charming tone.

"The League of Shadows considers this beneficial." Ra's said, speaking for his organization. Without interference from the Detective and his brood, his campaign against the All-Caste could finally be brought to completion, and business in general would considerably improve.

Vandal also nodded. "I agree with this. But still, I must know, what does Lex Luthor really stand to gain from this?" he said, knowing full well that bald bastard always played more angles than he showed.

"I've nothing to hide this time. I'm thinking President Luthor has a nice ring to it, and exploratory surveying has been favorable." Lex said, still that charming attitude. "I promise you, I've no intention of forgetting the people that got me here in the first place. I'll need the business connections after my eight years are up. Seems polls indicate most Americans aren't really in favor of changing the constitution, and martial law is only good for a quick influx of cash. If I've learned anything, war is good for profits, but peace pays dividends." 

* * *

"I want your opinions on our associates." Lex said to the man flanking him as they walked down the hallway of the clandestine LuthorCorp building. He took a minute to really look at him, taking in the details.

Tall and wearing an undercut and quick bun of dishwater blonde hair, the man known as Eighteen was dressed in a rather dramatic high collared black long coat. It left his face completely exposed, revealing chiseled features and piercing green eyes. "Vandal Savage doesn't trust you." He said in a smooth baritone. "Ra's Al'Ghul will play ball though. Your goals don't seem to intersect his."

"Good, Vandal is a non-entity. Despite his experience, he's functionally useless. What about Gorilla Grodd? I trust him least of all."

"I was able to keep him out of your head Sir, but I couldn't get into his. It's like he was already prepared for me." Eighteen said with a frown. "The rest have lesser goals. Ocean Master and Black Manta will have their reckoning in time I'd wager, but they'll cooperate for now. They probably need supervision though."

"I'm sure they do. I'll have them monitored." Lex said casually. "What of Merlin? He had to feel some slight."

"Not really Sir, no. He's smarter than he looks, but he seems willing to acknowledge when he's wrong. At this point, I think he's more interested in just making some kind of progress. He might feel himself later, especially if he can make the kind of headway he wants." Eighteen said, his faint Boston accent making him sound just this side of derisive and arrogant. Lex was pleased he'd hired that particular voice coach for the encoding when they were aging the weapon.

"Excellent work Eighteen." Lex said in a fatherly tone. "Have you given consideration to a more permanent name?" he asked, deciding that giving his weapon a bit of his own head would foster a genuine sense of loyalty to reinforce what the G.N.O. encoded as well.

"No sir. Nothing comes to mind." Eighteen shrugged. "I've got plenty of time though, I'm not too worried."

"Very well. I do know for a fact it's past your dinner time. Get yourself something to eat. You'll be very busy, very soon." Lex said, patting his weapon on the shoulder. "Big things in the future for you."

May 3rd  
Gotham City  
1900 EST

"You look gorgeous." Deke whispered into Barbara's ear, coloring her cheeks pink and bringing goosebumps up her back at his whispered words. She felt gorgeous too, dressed in her deep purple dress she'd gotten for Monaco a few years ago, and decked in the black sapphire jewelry that she'd gotten for a birthday present from her boy a few months after that ill-fated visit to the French Riviera. With her sunset colored hair worn high and pinned up, with only a few wisps artfully framing her face, her reflection had pleased her something wonderful.

Of course, her boy, decked in his tuxedo, and with his dishwater blonde hair hanging loose and free, looked good enough to eat so far as she was concerned. "Thank you Cowboy." She said, strolling through the Galleria Gotham with him. "Have you noticed Ash at all?"

Deke shook his head. He'd been mentally scanning for her since they'd exited Bruce's spare limo, and had yet to sense her presence among the small crowd happily filling up on canapes and other sundry haute cuisine treats. "You think she's spooked? She's got three pieces up here."

"She might be," Barbara replied thoughtfully, a pang of sadness for her friend crossing her mind if that were the case. "I hope not though. I saw the dress she laid out and it was gorgeous. If she doesn't tie herself up into it for the night I'm going to be a little let down, not gonna lie."

"You're not the only one, look who showed up." Deke replied, pointing to the door, where Pacifica had entered on Liho's arm. "Damn he cleans up good." He added, gesturing to his brother from another mother. Decked in a simple suit, and with his mop of hair slicked back straight and clean into a tail, he still cut an imposing figure, despite the broad grin splitting his face. Next to him, in Atlantean finery, which meant her breasts and lower regions were covered, and little else, stood a very serene faced Pacifica.

"She's going to draw a crowd." Barbara said, and pulled her boy towards their friends. When they were noticed, it was evident Liho was restraining himself from proper lug hugs, and Pacifica's face brightened considerably.

"I am pleased we did not arrive before you." She said, greeting Babs with a kiss to both cheeks. "It means we are not alone in this."

Deke pulled Liho into a proper bro-hug, shoulders checking in the lean and little else, and turned to face his teammate and classmate. "As beautiful as she is, it doesn't take her long." He said with a motion towards Barbara, and watched another blush cross his love's face.

"My sistah always beautiful." Liho said, placing a sweet kiss on Barbara's cheek. "I'm lucky, hanging out with such good lookin' people."

"You're wearing that suit well Liho, don't sell yourself short." Barbara said, poking him in the abdomen. "And Pacifica, you look stunning."

"Thank you." She said primly. "I was concerned that my formal attire would not be so well received, but Liho was kind enough to remind me that I shouldn't be concerned about such things."

"It's true, half the models in the portrait paintings are wearing a lot less." Deke said, nodding towards one section of the gallery. "I'm not really sure where the line between art and dirty pictures is supposed to be."

"That's the point Cowboy," Barbara chided, pausing a server with a tray of champagne flutes and handing them around. One wasn't going to hurt anything. "Art is supposed to make you think."

Liho sipped at his drink with a small frown, feeling like he'd been handed a glass of perfume. "I think I'm in the wrong place then." He said, but joined them as they began strolling through the gallery premiere.

"Is this an inappropriate time to ask how the prison break investigation is progressing?" Pacifica asked several minutes later, once they'd found a quiet corner of the gallery. She'd been heavily invested, especially since Ocean Master and Black Manta had both escaped not two days after Belle Reve had experienced its own breakout.

Barbara shook her head. "Not much to say, sadly. The guard who failed to properly keep Teth Adam under control can't be found, and another inmate was found missing later, a Thomas Elliot, who I have personal business with. On an odd note, Captain Cold's cell door was opened, but surveillance shows he never even _tried_ to leave, despite every opportunity to do so. I don't know what to make of that."

"That's weird." Liho commented, glancing at one of the paintings and not really getting what the artist was trying to do with it. It just looked like a tricycle. Art was not his strong suit. "He just sit there and chill?"

Barbara nodded, but was interrupted before she could speak. "Ash is here, and so is Kris." He said, nodding towards the entrance. He'd felt them from outside. "And damn, that girl. Wow." He added with dropped jaw, when she walked in.

Clad in a long, black, slashed and bell-sleeved dress with a black lace over red satin corset was Aasha, her lips painted so deep a red they were almost black. The corset did a remarkable job of pushing her modest breasts up and to the forefront, and she was standing just a bit higher against Kris than usual, indicating she'd worn heels.

Next to her, in a plain charcoal suit, Kris stood, looking comfortable and at ease. He politely offered her his arm, and the two of them walked in, making a beeline straight to their friends. "Sorry I'm late." Aasha said, her sweet and embarrassed tone completely contradicting her vampish appearance. "I had some trouble with the corset. Oh, and before I forget." She said, and stepped straight to Barbara, getting as tall as she could, and placing a long deep kiss on her.

Not finished, she then turned to Deke and repeated the process, leaving the rest of them positively stunned into silence, specifically Pacifica, who'd never really gotten a proper explanation as to their relationship. "There, much better." Aasha said, feeling properly sorted out.

"I'd say." Barbara said, a bit flushed. "What brought that on?"

"Besides the fact that I'm dating you?" Aasha said with a bit of sass. "I wouldn't be here without you two. Really, all of you, but I reserve openmouthed kisses." She added, looking at the remainder of her present team with a sweet smile.

"You the one doing the painting sistah," Liho said. "So, which ones are yours anyways?"

"Mine are this way, if you'll follow me." Aasha said, taking two steps before stopping. "Did anyone else feel that?"

"Feel what?" Deke asked, not sure what she meant, but feeling the concern on her instead, and not liking it.

"There's shaking." She said, and saw Barbara's face immediately go into detective mode.

"Yeah, I feel it now." Barbara said, and sat her champagne flute carefully on a bench. Within just a couple of seconds, the liquid stopped sloshing and began oscillating instead, in a steady rhythm.

"It's not an earthquake." Aasha replied after kicking her heels off and touching the floor barefooted, trying to sense the earth beneath her feet. "Not a natural one anyway, but it's getting worse."

"Shit," Barbara muttered. "Star City. Anyone remember that a few years ago?"

Deke nodded. "Yeah, I do, it was a couple months before I moved to Gotham. They said on the news that there were machines doing it, and wow, now I feel it."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid we're dealing with. It's going to magnify soon too, if it's the same design. We've got to move now." She said, trying to find an exit.

True to her word, the shaking went from minor to strong in short order, enough that the crowd went from uneasy to near panicking. "If they're machines, I might be able to do something." Kris said, following everyone to the back of the gallery, into the storage area. "But I'd need to get to a television station and get access to their broadcasting equipment."

"I'll get you there." Barbara said as Ash threw open the back door, dodging a vase that was about to fall on her head. "I've got a fast change costume in the car, but we're going to need better wheels to get there."

"There." Kris said, frowning at the gradually intensifying shaking. He was pointing across the street at a brand new shiny Dodge 4X4, complete with the Hemi label on the side. "There's our ride."


	18. Chapter 18

May 3rd  
Gotham City  
1745 EST

Kris rushed across the street, his suit morphing into his costume as he moved. Coming to a stop, he put his hand on the big Dodge truck and communicated with the computer inside. Within a second, it belonged to him. The doors unlocked as the massive engine roared to life. Sparing a glance, he saw Batgirl slip away from the limo, in full costume, and began darting his way.

Above him, Mustang was carrying Pacifica and Liho, while Daeva followed behind, the four of them headed out to the harbor. "Godspeed." He said to his team, and slipped into the passenger seat of the truck, while Batgirl hopped behind the wheel.

"Hold on, and buckle up." She warned, dropped the thing into drive, and peeled out of the lot to head straight for WGTM, the GBS affiliate in Gotham City. As they drove, the road began showing signs of stress, with cracks forming all over the place. There were still plenty of other cars on the road too, which meant Batgirl had to get creative to avoid accidents.

Grateful the truck had a brush guard, Batgirl plowed through a wooden fence dividing two halves of an alleyway, while simultaneously feeling awful that she'd just torn through someone's laundry. She tempered that with the knowledge that whoever that laundry belonged to, stood a better chance of surviving to complain about it the faster she got Fractal to the broadcast station.

"Damnit." She muttered, whipping the massive truck around several abandoned cars on the road. "We're almost there." She said to her passenger, who was sitting there with the most serene calm on his face, his fingers hovering just over the wrist bracer that held the computer Dick had given him the plans for.

"I've already remote accessed their security systems and begun the overrides necessary to give me the kind of control I need." He said calmly, not entirely 'there' with her. "When I do this, I'll be absolutely vulnerable. I need you to cover me, as I'm sure whoever's responsible will not enjoy my interference."

"I've got your six." Batgirl said, sparing a glance at her own readout. The Birds had already mobilized with the aim of rescuing anyone who was trapped in toppled buildings, and there was an alert from Batman saying the Zeta system was down, but the League was incoming. It was good too, because from the way the city was shaking, they were going to need all the help they could get.

May 3rd  
Metropolis  
1750 EST

"Move your ass Fujin." Lady G said, trying not to sound snappish with the much slower paced man with her. Scramble had gone on ahead, not even bothering to take the Zeta to Metropolis, which left her, Shield Maiden, and Fujin the remainder of the Movers. Ingrid was fast, on the peak end of human achievement, nowhere near Maddie's speed, but Will was dealing with his own natural abilities. Against other people, he was fast, but next to these two women, not so much.

"Trying here." He said, his lungs already beginning to burn from the exertion.

"Fuck it." Maddie muttered and grabbed her two teammates, pulling them to her body like a little girl might carry a stuffed doll, and pushed herself to her limit. "Sorry you two, can't wait." She said, yelled really, over her own slipsteam, and used the two of them to press against her bust so she didn't black her eyes on the run. She hadn't gotten the time to change into her athletic undergarments.

"We're getting really close to the harbor!" Ingrid called, seeing the harbor in the distance.

Again, Maddie muttered "Fuck it." And leapt, pushing as hard as her prodigious leg strength could carry her, acting purely on instincts she didn't know she possessed. Into the air she sailed with her teammates, wondering just when they were going to splash down because she'd jumped like a dumbass instead of turning.

"We're uh, we're not falling." Fujin said, seeing Metropolis shrink off into the distance. "Godiva, holy shit you're flying!"

"Tell me later." Maddie said, using every ounce of her concern for her teammates in Gotham to keep pushing her along. Little Aasha who was so fragile, Kris who was just as easy to break, Deke with his stupid ideas of just what he could handle, and even Liho and Pacifica, who might be just as badass as the rest but still vulnerable without the right backup. They _needed_ her. They needed Fujin and Shield Maiden. The Movers needed to be able to _Move_.

May 3rd  
Gotham City  
1800 EST

Standing near the harbor, Koa and Pacifica glanced around the shipping warehouse to see the next chunk of trouble. "Those appear to be the renegade forces of Ocean Master, and they are armed with Manta weaponry." Pacifica said, her jaw setting just so.

"Yeah, look that way. Buncha pop guns. How about I get their attention, then you can do your thing?" Koa said, grabbing a cargo hook attached to a long piece of thick chain. His new suit was gonna be ruined so fast.

"This is an excellent plan." Pacifica said, and grasped the sleeves of his suit, yanking them loose and tossing them away. "Much better, this is the warrior I have fallen in love with." She said with a lavender flush.

He heard it, and let his face split with a wide grin. "We gonna have a talk about what you just said wahini. Once I'm done with these guys."

"Go forth Koa Warrior." Pacifica said, the shark mouth tattoo on her face lighting up with mystical energy while her hair began floating as though underwater. "Show them what House Atua and its people are known for."

"Heh." Liho said, feeling powerfully emboldened. He strolled out and around from the cargo building, completely unconcerned about the ground beneath his feet still shaking. Once he was away from Pacifica, he began whipping the hooked chain over his head in a slow spin, and began yelling, calling out the challenge to his enemies in the native Hawaiian tongue. They might not understand the words, but his intent was plain and clear. He was looking to tear some people up.

"Fire you idiots!" One of the field leaders said, unimpressed by the warrior's call. He shouldered his own weapon and began discharging it indiscriminately. When the focused energy blasts seemed to only anger the giant further, that same field leader began getting an uncomfortable feeling in his gut.

When the giant leapt directly into them, and kicked him square in the stomach, that feeling got a _lot_ more uncomfortable. Not wasting time, Koa began whipping his giant chain around, cutting wide swaths into the formation of soldiers. Already unsteady on the shaking dry ground, they had little to do but shoot until they too were swept away.

Many turned, hoping to maneuver and outflank him, but when a giant teal shark comprised of pure energy breached from beneath the docks, these soldiers understood they were in for a much worse fight than they'd ever anticipated. 

* * *

Floating in midair, high above the cityscape, Daeva was trying desperately to calm the Earth beneath her. Since it wasn't a natural quake, it wasn't as easy as exerting her will against it. Instead, she was trying to shake back in equal measure, in the hopes it would balance itself out. As a byproduct of her efforts, the evening sky was beginning to cloud over, with arcs of lightning dancing amidst.

Though her body was tiny, the spirit within was anything but. Aasha Nagra was fierce when it was necessary, and far tougher than most would give credit for. The magic that was quite literally conceived within her at the moment of her own conception began pulsing through her small frame, threatening to overwhelm and overload her. So, she submitted to it, she allowed it to pass over her, and through her, and become one with it.

Beneath her, the ground still shook, but that shaking was much less powerful, and came and went instead of the steady, gradual increase that would flatten the city if it went on for too much longer.

Not far away, hovering above her, was a predatory creature who'd just spotted his prey. Black Adam, a being of magic himself, could sense the incredible power rippling through her, and it didn't take his vast intellect to understand she was responsible for calming the ground beneath her feet. That would not do, and she would not survive even a single strike from him.

"Hey, remember me?" He heard just as he was about to dive into his attack. Sneering, he turned to face the familiar female voice. Standing on the roof of a nearby building, that insufferable blonde bitch was waiting, obviously interested in suicide. He'd give it to her, but first, he had business.

"Your time comes soon!" He shouted, and simply sailed backwards with a taunting smirk, well out of her range to leap, and refocused his attention on the tiny sorceress.

The foolish bitch leapt anyway, so he watched, waiting for her to fall short, except, she didn't. Her fist made impact with his face, the force behind it far stronger than their last encounter. It sent Adam flying, blowing through a building nearby, while she floated in midair, massaging her fist.

"That's right, momma picked up another trick!" She taunted, happy to take the heat off of Daeva, and more than happy enough to see how she could stand against Black Adam now. She opened her mouth to taunt again, but instead soared towards his flight trajectory, hoping to tie him up sooner than later. He was still a hell of a lot faster in the air than she was. 

* * *

While people both foul and fair mixed in combat in the air, upon the ground a demon stood in guise of man but up to good. "Gone! Gone! The form of man, rise the demon Etrigan!" Jason Blood had called out loudly, the demon form now standing proudly.

"Never fails to draw attention, that one." John Constantine said around a half-lit cigarette, incanting a spell to bind a group of League of Shadows soldiers. Beside him, Zatanna merely shook her head and plucked the thing from his mouth, tossing it away.

"Filthy habit John." She chided, and focused her own magics. "Nagirte egami rorrim" She called out, and where once stood one demon man, now stood over twenty. The beast smiled predatorily, and rushed the pack of assassins.

"No fair cheating!" They heard, and turned to see Klarion step from around the corner of a building, stroking Teekl. "Let's see how you handle a Lord of Chaos."

"About like you'd expect mate." Constantine said, withdrawing a peacock feather from his coat and whispering to it. Beside him, Zatanna grinned.

"Been a while Klarion, doesn't look like you've been practicing since we met last time." She accused. "Stac ot srac!" she incanted, and several upended and abandoned cars morphed and shifted, turning into a pack of saber-toothed cats.

"Sic 'em." She ordered, waiting on Klarion's inevitable reaction. 

* * *

"Sorry, I'll be needing these things." Fractal said, waltzing into the newsroom, much to the surprise of the newscasters. "And this too." He added, taking a coffee mug and draining it. He needed the caffeine.

"Do you have enough power to do this? The building's on backup generators." Batgirl said, immediately going to work splicing lines to help the technopathic Fractal do what he needed to do.

"No, unfortunately, I don't. I'll need some extra juice, I was hoping you had an idea about that." Fractal said, plugging some equipment in and sending his nanoswarm into it to reconfigure it to his needs.

"I do." Batgirl said, and threw a rolling chair out the window. Once done, she pulled what looked like a batarang from her belt, snapped it open, and lightly tossed it out the hole she'd created. Instead of falling, the little device began flapping like a proper bat, but more than that, it was boosting comm signals.

"Tell me there's a Green Lantern in Gotham right now." She said, not bothering with any kind of radio etiquette, instead just hijacking the League signal without a care in the world.

"You've got me." Someone said. He was completely unfamiliar to her, young and not bad looking if she was being objective. "How can I help?"

"I need a power generator at the WGTM building." She said, not bothering with pleasantries. If he had a power ring and access to the League comm channel, she didn't need anything else.

"Gotcha, be there as fast as I can." He said. Off in the distance, in a gap created by the buildings, Barbara swore she could see an anime mecha comprised of green energy. 

* * *

"Why didn't _you_ answer the call?" Wildcat asked, cold cocking a Manta trooper on the other side of the city. "She asked for a Green Lantern after all."

Alan Scott took a punch to the face and just no-sold it, instead putting his ring into the torso of another Manta trooper before triggering it off, sending him flying. "She's talking about the space cops Ted, not me."

"And there's something wrong with that?" Wildcat asked, deftly dodging a laser blast before putting a jump pivot kick into the gut of another trooper and using the momentum to rolling arm-bar another near him. "Kids these days need reminded they weren't the first to put a mask on."

Above them, floating in the air and triggering blasts of her staff, Stargirl giggled. "Some of us actually know our history you two." She said, lobbing more blasts as necessary, and they were absolutely necessary.

"Sly picked a good one with her." Alan said, blasting off with his ring. "It's almost like he's still here with us." 

* * *

"Just like Posiedon's wrath. Earthquakes and tidal waves will sink this city like Atlantis." Manta said with a sneer to the ancient stories. Next to him, Ocean Master stood on the bridge of his ship with a frown. They had to work together, but they didn't have to like each other.

"My lord!" One of Ocean Master's people called out from the sensor station. "Orin has arrived."

"Finally! Manta, take note, _this_ is how to commit regicide." Ocean Master said, and turned towards the hatch. He flung the door open, and stepped out, swimming out towards where Aquaman was surely approaching. When he saw the army coming with the King and Queen of Atlantis, including Manta's impertinent offspring Kaldur'ahm, his bravado began to fail.

"I've recalled our forces. We're going to need them." Manta said, already blasting towards the oncoming tidal wave of Atlantean military, spearheaded by King Orin himself. 

* * *

"Why do they get all the fun?" Deke muttered as he pushed against a building, keeping it upright. All over the place, his team, members of the League, and plenty of people he didn't even recognize were busy kicking all the ass. As expected, Batman, Robin, Red, and Nightwing were all within Arkham, fighting to keep the place from experiencing a full scale eruption of crazy.

Below, he could see Red Hood and his Outlaws doing their business with more members of the League of Shadows, and not too far away, Maddie was tangling with Black Adam. It left him wondering about the other Lanterns, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash, but he wasn't about to lament the help they were getting.

"Hey, you look busy." Deke heard off to his left. Startled, he spared a glance and did a double take. It was like looking in the Mirror of Erised, if his heart's desire was to see a douchebag version of himself. "Got a minute?" the guy in the high collared black coat said, before making a casual gesture, sending him flying from one of the hardest hits he'd taken, and that was including Darkseid.


	19. Chapter 19

May 3rd  
Gotham City  
1800 EST

With the new Green Lantern on the roof creating a green energy generator far more efficient than what the station building had, Fractal was finally able to sit in his throne. Comprised of all manner of broadcasting equipment, it led to a seat which he plopped into unceremoniously. Immediately, his senses became that of the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

He searched through the threads, grateful that electricity and cellular communication was down from the earthquake, further grateful the building was new enough to be built to modern disaster code.

"I have it." He said, his voice distant and quiet. Batgirl stood there, vigilant, waiting on trouble. "This will take just a moment."

She was about to say something when an arrow came flying out of nowhere. Reflexively, she snatched it out of the air, and tossed it to the side. "Merlin, kinda far from Star City aren't you?"

"I had business here." He said, nocking another arrow and leveling it at Fractal. "I'm to assume the two of you are interested in keeping me from it?"

"Got that right." Batgirl said, and whipped the batarang she'd palmed after catching the first arrow. It exploded in a bright flash, causing Merlin's shot to go wide and sink harmlessly into the drywall.

She was on him in an instant, an unrelenting assault of palm heels, knees, elbows, and feet. Well trained and practiced, he wasn't going to go down without a fight, and he didn't need his eyes to defend himself. 

* * *

Devastation had picked up a car, ready to toss it directly into the path of the speedster that had been bedeviling her for the past several minutes. She was easily written off as big and dumb, but direct shouldn't be substituted for foolish. Just as she was about to launch it at her tormentor, she was struck hard in the side, and sent flying.

"Oh you're gonna pay for that." She said, standing up and dusting herself off. She saw the car she was preparing to use as ammunition suddenly go skidding off and away, revealing her new attacker. "I'll rip that pretty red hair out of your skull and strangle you with it."

"Sorry, but I can't allow that." Shield Maiden said, drawing an axe from her belt and rapping it loudly against her mystical shield. She approached in a slow stalk as she continued drumming on it. "Lo there and do I see my father…" she began.

Devastation moved in carefully, and swung high, before bringing her boot out, hoping to draw the girl's guard. Instead, both impacts met the girl's shield. "Lo there and do I see my mother, my brothers and my sisters…" she said, before pushing back with her shield and swinging a hard shot with her axe.

As expected, the weapon did little damage. "Yeah you're gonna have to do a _lot_ better than that." Devastation said and put her hands together and swung laterally, hoping to send the girl flying. Again though, just more impact on the shield.

"Lo they bid me take my place among them…" Shield Maiden kept reciting, before drilling Devastation hard with a shield bash, knocking the woman back several feet. Whoever the girl was, she could hit damn hard. "In the halls of Valhalla…"

"I'm about sick of you bitch." Devastation said, wading back in after shaking her head clear. 

* * *

Flamebird came into the fray swinging on a line, feet first and nailing one of the looters hard in the stomach. Coming up to her feet and handspringing forward, she drew a pair of batons that had been gifts from Dick when he'd learned she was taking up the mask. "Shame it took an earthquake to help clean this city up." She commented, hating the level of devastation to her hometown.

"It was only a matter of time. Gotham was built in accordance to plans laid forth by a secret society in eighteen ten. It was always planned to be destroyed by an earthquake." Question said, rocking a few looters with some textbook boxing techniques.

"Your idea of flirting is so weird Q." Huntress said, footsweeping another looter and using her momentum to come up into a jump spinning crescent kick. "I think that's what I like most about you."

"You're making me gag." Artemis said, shooting a foam arrow between them. It exploded, catching the rest of the looters in a big gob of expanding and self-hardening polymer. "Now help me get these people out of this van." 

* * *

She might have learned a few new tricks, but apparently, Black Adam wasn't one to hold back on the second round, something Maddie was learning the hard way. In the sky, he was in perfect control, far faster and more maneuverable than she was with her newfound aerial abilities, so she'd taken it to the ground, scrapping with him.

"I owe you considerably _bitch_." Adam said, holding her by the hair of the head and punching her in the face mercilessly before swinging her into a building, using her as a wrecking ball, before adding insult to injury by crushing a car with her.

Maddie threw her arms up in defense, hating her alien physiology wasn't adapting fast enough to spare her this beating. On his next punch, she snapped her arms out and intercepted it, giving a hard twist and yank. He growled and lifted her into the air, pulling her by her hair, and just kept ascending.

Not far away and watching the whole thing, Daeva hadn't been idle. "So, you're sure this will work?" she asked over the comm. Something had boosted the range in the past couple of minutes and it had allowed her to contact who she was trying to reach.

On the other end, the person she was asking for advice was rocketing towards Gotham, having gotten held up in Fawcett City in a dustup with Deathstroke. It should _not_ have taken him that long to handle that man, if he even really was a man. "Yeah, it's worth a shot. Worst thing that'll happen is you get his attention, so be ready for that."

"Right." Daeva said, and mindless of just exactly what that attention meant, she focused deep within herself and drew forth the magic that was an intrinsic part of her. The storm clouds became hers to command, and with one word, she ordered them to unleash all of the fury they held, aimed directly at Black Adam.

" _Shazam_!" she screamed in her mezzo soprano voice, calling the lightning forth. Black Adam paused long enough to hear her scream it, and that's when the lightning hit him.

"Gotcha." The blonde whore said, catching Teth Adam from falling out of the sky, and wrapping her hand around his mouth, going so far as to stick two of her filthy fingers in his mouth. "Now how about I remind you that you're not allowed to call me bitch?" 

* * *

Running as if his life depended on it, because really, it did, Jack Ryder ducked into an industrial complex on Gotham's lower west side. Catching his breath and hoping those gangbangers didn't see him dodge into the place, he leaned against the wall trying to rest for a minute.

"Hey, the earthquake stopped." He said, noticing the ground wasn't shaking anymore. Feeling slightly less terrified since he couldn't hear the gang members that were chasing him, he stepped away from the wall, which was fortuitous, since it almost immediately crumbled.

"Damn, that was funny." He said, before what was contained behind the wall spilled out from the damaged containers, covering him in acrid, burning green goo. 

* * *

"Arsenal!" Red Hood called out, his world crumbling around him. He could only stand there, frozen, as Bane rose from the kneeling position that concluded his breaking of Arsenal's back, and tossed the shattered man away.

"Looks like you're next." Bane said with a wicked grin. "I'll work my way to Batman through you."

"Like Hell you will." Jason said, Starfire's anguished scream fueling him. He tossed his empty pistols and stepped in on the massive wrestler. He wasn't going to survive killing Roy, and Jason didn't need his guns to take Bane on. He'd trained to fight this massive bastard when he was wearing the Robin's colors. 

* * *

"It's time to withdraw." Manta suggested, fighting back to back with Ocean Master, the two of them supported by what remained of their armies. "I have a stealth sub nearby."

"I will have my victory and I need no coward to support me." Orm said, tossing an Atlantean soldier aside and using his own weapon to continue fighting. "Trenchers! Rise!" He commanded, and watched as the creatures sprang up from the silt in a surprise assault.

"This is foolish and I'll let you see why on your own." Manta said, and turned away, using his suit to propel him well away from the fighting.

"Coward!" Orm called out, furious, and watched his reinforcements begin their vicious attack. That is, until the Atlanteans revealed their own reinforcements.

Three forms in the water began lighting up, showing the marks of sorcery. He could pick out Mera, of course, the woman who should have been _his_ queen, and Tempest, the third, she was some vapid duchess, though perhaps his evaluation of her needed to change as the sheer amount of sorcery being wielded was both awe inspiring and terrifying. Maybe a tactical withdrawal _was_ necessary.

"Not gettin' away that easy." He heard, and turned into a massive fist. The pressure from the strike was hellish, but it was followed up with two more quick shots. Through one eye, he could see the massive Atlantean drawing back for another strike.

"If I may, guardsman?" Kaldur'ahm said, and produced his water bearers, those two artifacts solidifying the water around them into maces. "I must follow the orders of my king."

"No prob brah, I got his people." The big one said, and picked up a rifle, preparing to serve his queen. 

* * *

The Joker cackled and dug a scalpel into the neck of an orderly, happily murdering his way out of Arkham and into the city. Of all the jailbreaks, this one quite possibly was the most entertaining. "Time to light this city on fire." He said, ducking around a corner and sticking his foot out, tripping a group of security guards and causing them to fall all over themselves.

He leapt onto them, hoisting his scalpel to begin executing them, but his arm was caught in an iron grip. "Batman, about time you showed up. I almost did something _drastic_." He said with a snicker, looking the Dark Knight in the face. "Back in my cell, huh?"

Batman nodded, punched the Joker twice, and slammed him against the wall. "Red Robin, where's the Scarecrow?" he asked, keying his comm. 

* * *

Batgirl, bleeding from three small but extremely deep holes, tossed Merlin over her shoulder and onto the ground, following him down and burying her knuckles into his face. "Fractal, could use a hand here." She said, noticing he hadn't gotten up from his seat since he'd killed the earthquake generators.

"I'm busy Batgirl, you've got this." He said, his voice still quiet and distant, and busy he was. Using the broadcasting equipment, he'd been able to send his nanoswarm out well beyond the usual reach of his technopathic abilities, and for the past several minutes, they'd been multiplying rapidly, consuming every damaged and destroyed object they possibly could. Even now they were rolling through the city, patching and repairing the structures damaged by the earthquake, or consuming buildings too destroyed to be saved, to add into the collective resources. "Mustang says you're quite the badass."

"Not sure who he is, but I'm questioning his estimation." Merlin said, rolling away and kipping up to his feet. His words were an act though, she'd absolutely put him through his paces and left him feeling considerably worse for wear. At this point, he was hoping to hold out long enough for blood loss to finish her.

Across from him, her vision growing blurry, Barbara scowled. She had maybe another minute, tops, before her blood pressure dropped so low she'd pass out. She needed to escalate violence, and immediately, so she stepped in on him fast, and snapped a chop to his throat, controlling her strike to prevent accidentally killing him. That level of control cost her though, as Merlin blocked it, and jammed a thumb into the hole in her thigh, causing her to scream involuntarily.

"You'd have made a hell of an asset, sorry it had to be this way." Merlin said, and drew a small knife from the back of his belt. He raised it up to bury it into her throat, but a sudden ping followed by a loud report preceded his knife flying from his hand. Standing in the doorway to the broadcast room, a man in a red bandanna had a smoking pistol trained on him.

"You really screwed up pal." Grifter said, and gave Batgirl the nod. Using his grip on her as leverage, she fought through the pain and wrapped him up, using her incredible leg strength to stretch him into a cruciform shape before snapping both arms out of socket.

While he lay there screaming, she rolled over and drilled him, knocking him out. "Thanks for the save." She said, struggling to get to her feet. Grifter stepped over to her and helped her up, and propped her against the wall while he zip-tied Green Arrow's nemesis.

"Would've been here sooner, but a bunch of the League got tangled up in their hometowns. I was giving Guardian an assist. Where's your first aid kit?" He asked, looking at all of the identical containers on her utility belt.

"Here." Batgirl said, dropping one of the pouches into his hand. "Have you heard from Mustang?" she asked. She hadn't heard his voice on comms the whole time, and the entirety of the city was well bigger than his telepathic range.

"No, sorry. That Green Lantern signaled me to help you out since he couldn't." Grifter said, beginning basic first aid on the heroine.

May 3rd  
Gotham City  
1830 EST

Barbara was leaning against Aasha, who herself was barely able to stand from exhaustion. Both of them were sipping coffee from a thermos provided to them by a volunteer, and watching the citizens of the city, and the neighboring cities, begin the process of really rescuing and recovering.

Aasha was about to say something, when she and Barbara both heard a noise. Looking up, they saw a dark form fall to the ground, while another being was silhouetted in the moon. "You can have him back, I'm done with him." This person said, and descended into full view, bringing a chill to Aasha's body. She was looking into the eyes of Deke, but they weren't his. That kindness had been replaced by a cold disdain.

"I uh, I wouldn't try that little girl. I got no fight with you, don't give me a reason." Eighteen said, seeing the arcs of electricity begin surrounding Daeva. "See to your friend, he was thinking of you both before his heart stopped."

"What?" Aasha said, and turned to see Barbara performing CPR. "Oh dear God no." she said, crawling over to Mustang's body.


	20. Chapter 20

May 12th  
Boston Massachusetts  
0930 EST

"It's my turn." Barbara said, walking into the room. Aasha looked up from the sofa to see her girlfriend slip into the chair beside the bed. "Go home for a while Ash."

Putting a bookmark into The Two Towers, Aasha set the book aside and stood up, before padding over to Barbara. "They're hopeful; his brain activity is still off the charts. I've been reading to him, they say it helps."

Barbara nodded and looked at her fiancé. He seemed so small in the hospital bed, with the ventilator tube doing the job of breathing for him, while several bags hung from the IV tree. Doctor Franklin had been adamant about running extra glucose and vitamin bags. "I've got my own thing." She said, pulling her laptop out of her bag.

"Okay. I love you Barbara." Aasha said, placing a kiss on her girlfriend. "And I love you too, you mule." She said to Deke, kissing him on the cheek and crinkling her nose at the way his beard tickled her.

"Call me if anything changes, please?" She asked, slipping out the door.

"I will, and I love you too Ash." Barbara said, and opened a file on her laptop.

"Doctor Dawn Vallencourt, PhD in child psychology. Her remains were discovered by hikers near Star City. Positive ID had to be made with trace dental DNA. You getting this Cowboy?" Barbara asked, looking again at the man she fully intended to wed, if he'd ever wake his ass up. "This is important because she'd left instructions with an attorney to forward a video to the Justice League if she died."

"Anyway, here's her picture." She said, turning the laptop screen to face him. "She's really pretty, or was, I suppose. Green Arrow did some digging for us and found out she had a safe deposit box paid for under an alias. A little creative con, which you can thank Fujin for, and we got the contents. It wasn't much, just a handwritten note on Cadmus stationery with Thirty Three Point One, and the word Camaro on it." She continued, but stopped. "Baby please tell me something so I know you can hear me. Fuck." She said, not even worried about containing her own foul language.

Coming to her feet, she walked around the room slowly, trying to exercise her leg. Merlin's arrow had worked a number on it. "Oh, you missed Roy's funeral. The original Roy, that is. I forged your name on the card, I wasn't sure what else to do. I hate funerals so much."

"And, I'm having another cry, okay, good job Gordon. You've only been doing it for like two weeks now." She said, unable to contain the trickle of tears streaming down her cheeks. Plopping back down, she sat there and cried it out, unable to get herself together after the upheaval in Gotham and all of the terrible things that spawned from it.

[My body still isn't cooperating or I'd hug you.] she heard while blowing her nose, her cry having gone into full ugly and snotty mode. Dropping her tissue, she turned and looked at her boy. His eyes were still closed, the ventilator still pumping away.

"Oh hell, now I'm losing it. To Hell with being a strong, independent woman I guess." She groused around her tears, the waterworks threatening to come back harder with the false hope.

[You're not losing it darlin'.] she heard in her mind. This was some cruel joke and she knew it. Still. She took his hand and squeezed it.

"If I'm not crazy, make something float, do something, please." She commanded, already digging her phone out of her pocket. If she was lucky, Aasha hadn't left the labyrinth that was STAR Labs Boston.

A pinch on her bottom caused her to jump, and nearly drop her phone. "Yeah, that's you. I never would have imagined you goosing me." She said, nearly quivering from excitement, horribly misspelling every word in her text but hoping autocorrect caught enough to give Ash the right gist.

[Can you maybe get me some help please? This kind of sucks shit.]

Not sure how to feel, she put Barbara away and got very Batgirl about the situation. "Like what? The docs don't know what to do with you."

[M'gann, maybe Manhunter? I trust M'gann more though.] He replied, the brain scan monitors going absolutely apeshit every time he pushed a telepathic communication.

"He's awake?" Aasha asked, sounding very winded as she dashed into his room. "Did he finally learn not to pull tubes?"

"Not quite. We need to get some help apparently." Barbara said, still sounding perfectly Batgirl. "I'll make the call."

[Thanks for reading to me Ash.] Deke pushed to her. [I was trying to talk to you for two days but I couldn't push far enough.]

"You're welcome love." Aasha said, not sure what to do with herself, and feeling a cry of her own coming on.

May 22nd  
Greenup Kentucky  
1643 EST

"Take it easy Cowboy." Barbara said, helping her boy walk from the Zeta platform in his garage to the house itself, supporting his very dense weight. "You haven't walked in almost three weeks. Muscle atrophy is very real."

"So long as I can make it to the couch, I'll be alright." Deke said, focusing tight on goals. First, the door, then cross the kitchen, then the living room, and there was the couch. He could do it. He was Deacon 'Mustang' O'Connelly. He'd survived Knockout, Darkseid, and apparently, himself. If he couldn't kill himself, nobody could. At least, that's what he'd been telling himself.

"We'll get you there." Barbara said, and saw the back door open and Aasha lean out with a bright smile and a wave, her hair in a kerchief and a frilly apron around her body. She'd been here cleaning and cooking all day, anticipating their return.

"How long were you all staying here anyway?" He asked, making his steps slow and measured, about to just hold himself aloft an inch or so and float himself in.

"Since after the quake. A certain someone offered to let me stay at their place, but Ash doesn't know about them, so I politely declined. Baby I hate to say it, but the apartment is a total wash, it was one of the buildings that didn't make it." Barbara said with a frown. It was their first home, and whoever was responsible (and there were some very good theories as to who it was) had taken it from them, earning them Barbara Joan Gordon's undying enmity.

"How many got out?" He asked, taking another step and reflexively smiling at Aasha's adorable waving of them in. "Tell me enough."

"Oh yeah, almost everyone. Mister Sheppard was one of them, you'll be glad to know. His dog went nuts before anyone else could feel the quake, it got him acting. He cleared almost the whole building before it was too dangerous to go back in." Barbara said, feeling him pull away from her. She let him, but remained at hand in case he made the wrong judgement call.

"Where are we at on that anyway?" Deke asked, putting a hand on the door frame and taking a long inhale of his family home. The kitchen smelled positively amazing, and he was feeling capable of eating a proper meal for the first time in almost a week.

"Greenup Kentucky is where we're at on things Cowboy." Barbara admonished. "That's straight from Captain Atom, backed up by Batman, and enforced by Superman. You worry about healing, just like we have to."

"Speaking of, how's Ash feeling?" Deke asked of his little paramour. She smiled brightly, though there was a weariness in her eyes still.

"Not quite there yet love. That whole thing took a _lot_ out of me. Kris too apparently. They had to carry him out of that throne he'd built." She said, guiding them to the sofa and watching him plop himself down carefully in the corner of the sectional, where, if she was being honest, she'd slept more than in the bed.

"He's at the Hacienda, right?" Deke asked, feeling more than a little rejuvenated at being home, even if it felt less home than their apartment had.

"Yes, Ingrid's been seeing to him. She did some good work too Cowboy, she dropped Devastation single-handedly and without so much as a bruise. Devastation wore herself out failing to do anything, and all Ingrid did was shield bash her, occasionally slap her with an axe, and recite Norse poetry." Barbara replied, remembering hearing Wonder Woman's antithesis explain it exactly like that, but with way more coarse language.

"What about the rest?" Deke asked, worried about his team. He couldn't communicate well enough to get the details from either girl while he was still stuck, and he'd been so busy with rehab at STAR Labs and the interviews with Batman and Nightwing that he hadn't had a chance to ask.

"Fujin caught Sportsmaster trying to steal something from STAR Labs Gotham. He stole it right out from under him too, I have the recording from his tech glasses, and it's pure comedy." Barbara explained which caused Ash to snicker. Apparently she'd seen the footage too.

"Liho and Pacifica came out relatively unscathed too, and there was, according to the both of them, a positively massive battle underwater. Aquaman certainly picked the right time to arrive with help. His people have been assisting with the cleanup and rescue efforts, though it's turned into body recovery if I'm being honest." Barbara continued with a frown.

"Maddie, well, between her and Ash here, they made sure Black Adam wasn't a bigger threat. You'll want to talk to her yourself, she insisted we not spill the rest to you, sworn to secrecy kind of thing." Barbara said, finishing the quick catch-up.

"Awesome. We came out good." Deke said, leaning into the corner and pulling the girls closer to his body, feeling comforted by their proximity and warmth. "But, what about Scramble? He was there wasn't he?" he drawled after a minute.

"Scramble went AWOL. Nobody knows where he is." Aasha said quietly. "But the odds of him getting killed were pretty low, as fast as he is."

"Shit." Deke muttered, making an idle gesture at the television, flicking it on. As he'd expected, even using his telekinetics made his whole body ache, but it was at least a damn sight better than not being in control at all. He'd planned on vegging out a little bit but he could feel the pressure from both girls.

"Okay, go ahead, ask me." He said, pushing himself back into a more proper seated position instead of lounging like he owned the place. Well, he did, but he tried not to _act_ like he owned the place; especially since both girls had been living there since the day after the quake.

"Batman and Captain Atom wouldn't tell me anything." Barbara said, coming dangerously close to pouting territory. "Who did it to you, and what happened?"

"Okay, here goes." Deke said, and took a breath, preparing to tell his story.

 _May 3_ _rd  
_ _Gotham City  
_ _1800 EST_

" _Hey, you look busy. Got a minute?" The interloper asked, giving Deke a glance somewhere between amused and disgusted, as though he was being made to watch two slugs breed. He flicked his hand in a casual gesture, sending Deke flying._

 _Deke's inertial shielding was the only thing that kept him from blowing through the building he'd hit, though pancaking against it wasn't doing him any favors either, as the energy transferred in that kinetic slap was able to overwhelm the shielding he'd thrown up, and let plenty enough bleed through._

" _No, kinda busy actually." Deke said, pushing off the building and returning the other guy's favor, generating a massive pulse of telekinetic energy behind him, striking him hard and sending him straight into Deke's reach. He was able to land a solid couple of punches before the other guy pushed off and grasped him in a telekinetic grip, and whipped him up and away, only to follow closely behind._

" _You know, I'm glad I got a chance to meet you. You're like a textbook in what_ not _to do, y'know? Like, I know not to get_ that _swole." The other guy said, hovering at a conversational distance. "I gotta say though, I appreciate the coat, I guess we share a love of good coats. I like to think mine's cooler, but I don't hate yours."_

" _You come here to fight or talk me to death?" Deke asked, the entire time the other man had been talking, he'd been gradually sailing backwards slowly, leading him away from Gotham proper. "Cause I gotta be honest here, that strategy's working out for you."_

" _Oh look! He quips! I kinda figured that was a me thing. Did you learn it from someone?" He asked, his green eyes focusing on Deke's face. "And static, of course. You're getting the same thing from me though."_

" _Yep, privacy's intact. Who's idea was it to give you that fucked up haircut anyway?" Deke asked, still casually pulling the guy further from Gotham, trying to get this fight over the Delaware Bay, where collateral would be minimized or eliminated altogether._

" _Mine. I wouldn't call it fucked up though. It fits. I might shave your head after this is said and done, really screw your funeral up, y'know?" The other guy said. "Oh, by the way, so you'll know it, I'm Sawyer. I think I'm saying screw the codename, it's kinda passé anyway."_

" _Sawyer? Whatever pal, if you wanna try killin' me, here's where it's happening." Deke said, satisfied they were floating over the bay, with the few still working lights in Gotham sitting in the distance._

" _Cool," Sawyer said, a massive disturbance in the air beginning to form. Deke caught sight of it, and began countering the effect, pushing his own kinetic energy into it, turning the disturbance into so much useless pushing and shoving. "You know, you fight like old people fuck."_

 _It bought the time he needed, and allowed him to launch himself towards Sawyer, where he locked him up into a tie-up, before applying a quick armbar. He jerked, causing the snap, but Sawyer didn't seem to even notice._

" _Pain receptors are worthless guy." He said, and released his control on the disturbance now behind Deke. When it pulsed, it left Deke shielding him and eating the entirety of the effort, as though two people were stretching a rubber band, and one had let go. "Now you're gonna see why."_

 _Immediately, Deke felt himself in the maelstrom of kinetic energy, as though a thousand fists were punching him at every angle, simultaneously. Within a half a second his inertial shielding had failed, unable to absorb the damage, leaving him at the mercy of his fortification. With the pain growing into something nightmarish in short order, he had to make a decision, and fast. He wasn't perfectly healed from Darkseid yet and this assault was going to kill him quick._

 _Intentionally, he let his static drop, forming a picture of Batgirl and Daeva in his mind, specifically focusing on them in costume, before triggering his psychometabolic powers, intentionally throwing his body into a coma._

" _Damn, that was easier'n I thought." Sawyer said, catching Deke's body as it fell towards the bay. "Next step, Superman."_


	21. Chapter 21

May 22nd  
Greenup Kentucky  
1700 EST

"So, where _was_ Big Blue anyway? I really didn't wanna stick myself in that coma. I knew I wasn't coming out any time soon." Deke said, upon completing the story of how he got his ass kicked so bad he had to push himself almost to death to keep from dying.

"Grundy was running wreck in Metropolis." Barbara replied offhandedly. "But he just did that air rending thing you do? Did you know it could hurt someone that bad?"

"Yeah, which is why I don't swing for the fences when I use it. Someone on Superman or Captain Marvel's scale, yeah, I'd kinda have to, but on most people it's too dangerous. It's why I don't even try to Sectumsempra anything alive, regardless of how tough they seem." Deke explained, catching a snicker from Aasha. "What's so funny?"

"Potterhead." She accused. "Now, please be kind, but I cooked dinner for us. Are you able to eat?"

"Hell, even if I wasn't, don't let that stop you." Deke said, lightly brushing Aasha's silky hair with his fingertips. "But I could definitely try to eat something."

"I'll fetch it and bring it here for us then." Aasha said, rising to her feet and padding her way into the kitchen to begin doling out salad and baked chicken for everyone. While she was in there, Barbara cuddled into her boy.

"I saw the video from your glasses too, babe. He was a dead ringer for you. What's your feeling on that?" Barbara asked, her own theory having been formulated a few days ago, upon seeing who he'd scrapped with.

"That lawyer managed to get the scraps they pulled out of me when the mountain blew up. I'm guessing they were able to get viable genetic material from it. I was only fifteen, so I still had active stem cells working in my body. I think I was cloned, and I kinda don't like being cloned into such a douche." Deke replied honestly. He really felt like he'd been done a disservice.

"I agree with the cloning. Probably Cadmus, they're the top cloning lab, and it's nearly impossible to get anyone or anything into their labs to find out what they're up to." Barbara replied. "How'd he fly, by the way?"

"Clumsier than me, slower too. His telekinetics were vicious, and we were on par telepathically, but he couldn't even tell I'd played possum, so his psychometabolics were nowhere near mine, but he had something active, that first shot I gave him should have floored him and he was running with his pain receptors turned off. You could tell he'd honed his offense and little else." Deke said thoughtfully, replaying the fight in his head with an analytical mindset, a trait he'd learned from his love.

"So, crappy flier huh?" Barbara asked, her gears turning quite obviously. She saw her boy's face split into an almost predatory grin when he realized what she was getting at.

"Yep, which means he's still generating turbulence when he flies. He's not pushing far enough forward on the plane so he can't maneuver for shit. We can track him the way Checkmate was tracking me, and I know for a fact I broke his arm, he had to go to ground to get some help or heal himself." Deke answered, following the path she'd set out for him.

Barbara gave a knowing nod, proud of her boy. "We'll need to be able to find him quick. If Checkmate knew as much as they did about you, it's fair to assume Cadmus was able to get the information, one way or the other. It's only a matter of time before he comes looking again. If it helps, so far he hasn't shown back up anywhere that we know about yet."

"Next time, we'll all be waiting." Aasha said, bringing the baked chicken salads in and setting them down in front of her lovers. "There's homemade lemonade in the fridge as well, shall I bring us all some?"

"Bless your heart Ash, yes please." Deke said, sitting forward carefully and grabbing his bowl. "She's such a dear."

"I know, right?" Barbara said, winking at the blushing woman. "This is a good thing, because she's volunteered to take care of you for a few days. I have to get back to Gotham to help with things and talk to school for you. You uh, you got hurt when a wall fell on you by the way." Barbara explained.

"Can't even properly heal without more Xenobiology homework." Deke muttered around a mouthful of salad. "I'm glad you talked me into sitting down and doing the paperwork for our engagement now too."

"Babs knows best Cowboy. At least in cases like that anyway. Oh, one other thing, The Dark League put some wards on this house, Mami and Papi's house, and their cars, as well as the Chevelle, it should block them from most any means of detection outside of actually physically laying eyes on. They're carrying, Ash, what'd Zatanna call them again?"

"Hex bags love." Aasha said, bringing in the pitcher of lemonade and some glasses. "I've got ours. Can't leave the property without them, not till we're all better anyway."

"Lotta fuss." Deke said, beginning to really understand how Babs had felt when Batman had tasked Artemis to follow her when she was healing up from Brick, what felt like so many years ago. "Is there someone following me too?"

"No, just Ash. Swamp Thing took up residence on the rooftop garden of the Hacienda, to keep an eye on Kris though." Barbara said, making a peculiar face. She'd never met him, and had only heard of him secondhand through Zatanna.

"Okay, sure, why not?" Deke complained, not really tracking this level of redundancy. "I guess I can write some thank you e-mails till I get my homework though."

"It'd be nice." Barbara said, perfectly understanding where he was coming from. "While I'm gone, just do me a favor and don't hurt yourself, okay? I know you're going to work yourself out, and you need to, but be smart, please?"

"I'll make sure of it." Aasha said with a firm nod. "No sex if you hurt yourself being a stubborn mule."

"Ash honey, the way I'm feeling, it's no sex if I don't hurt myself." Deke said with a regretful frown. "I'm still torn on who hit me harder between him and Darkseid."

"That's bollocks." Aasha said, looking forward to having a night with him. Since being allowed to do so, she'd been dreaming up things she wanted to try, when it was just the two of them. "But I might be getting ahead of myself too. I'm still so tired all the time."

"Well, if you do, have fun." Barbara said, munching on her salad thoughtfully. "Take pictures for me. I left the Firefly bluerays here too, and she hasn't seen them yet."

"That's probably way more likely to be the thing that happens." Deke replied, glancing at the women in his life. For a minute, he pondered whether or not locking them into his thoughts before he'd shut himself down was what had allowed him to survive the sudden and brutal onslaught Sawyer had visited upon him. Barbara was, and would always be his first love, the woman he wanted to have children and a life with. Aasha had started as happenstance, and looked like she was perfectly happy in their arrangement and so had never decided to leave. Completely ignoring sex, she was still incredible to have in their life. "When were you planning on taking off?"

"After I eat, sadly. I have to Zeta to Metropolis and take the ferry across the bay. Hopefully we'll have Zeta access to the city itself soon, but that work has to be done in a clandestine fashion, for obvious reasons. Our Q-Core stuff is all satellite uplinked to the Watchtower though, so I'll be able to call and everything." Barbara replied, not wanting to leave, but also not wanting to waste any time in setting up the tracking algorithm.

Batman had been right to be wary of her boy. She detested that her integrity had been compromised to do it, but developing real world skills over his powers had been a good idea in retrospect. Getting too powerful too fast could lead to trouble, which had been made perfectly evident. Catching the clone before he got the wrong idea in his head was absolutely necessary.

Barbara banished that line of thought, especially since she was sitting quite literally hip to hip with her boy, and she didn't want to burden him with her negativity or make him feel like she was leaving him out. Instead, she ate quietly, not so much having a meal but fueling up. With Gotham in the state it was in, she couldn't take the time to fully heal her leg, instead working alongside the Birds of Prey to make sure she had backup at all times.

There was a lot of upheaval, and despite all the help they'd received, and quickly, Gotham was not in a good state. "Over two million people are homeless now." She said quietly, trying not to dwell on it, but failing. "Metropolis, New York, Boston, Fawcett City, and Star City are already in the process of putting together refugee housing. Central City's finished already, not that _that's_ a surprise. Another eighty thousand dead, or missing and presumed and that number's climbed a whole lot more than it's fallen. That number did rise though recently. A football player touring colleges was recovered, though the poor kid's never going to play ball again."

"Damn. At least Atlantis is helping." Deke said, surreptitiously pulling a kale stem from his mouth and tucking it away to toss when Ash wasn't looking. Love her heart she tried though.

"Atlantis is helping big time. Mera is set to speak before Congress in a couple of days, she's convinced she and the other sorcerers can raise a fourth island to handle some of the spill-over. Speaking of Congress, Ash, don't you have a citizenship test to study for?" Barbara said, poking the other girl in the shoulder lightly.

"Bloody hell I do, but all of my material was in the apartment." She whined. "That's two months straight of studying right down the loo."

"Go to that review site I sent you. It's a shame you can't say you were helping with the situation; that might score you some serious points." Barbara said, patting her on the shoulder.

"Yes mum." Aasha said, sticking her very long tongue out at her girlfriend. "And you're right, it's a shame indeed. I could say 'Excuse me sir, but I'm a bloody superheroine, could you just expedite this whole process please?' and I bet Homeland Security would just snap right to that."

"Are you being bratty with me right now? This is not a good time for that Ash." Barbara reminded her, returning visible tongue with visible tongue. "Never mind that it's the State Department that handles all of it."

"Now who's being bratty?" Aasha asked, her eyes narrowing. 

* * *

There were definite perks of resting up back in his family home. Knowing the place inside and out was one, having _his_ bed to sleep in was another, and the fresh country air was a third. There were downfalls to it though, like having a normal tank style hot water heater and forgetting that it could run out after so long. It left him rinsing his hair out with chilly water, and putting a pause on shaving his beard. Though, maybe that wasn't such a horrible idea.

"Hey Ash, you busy?" He called out, sticking his head outside the bathroom door and listening for her.

"No love, do you need help?" She asked, stepping out of his bedroom, a facial mask coloring her face mint green.

"No, just an opinion." He said, trying not to snicker at her. She was extremely shy about her beauty routines, all of which were perfectly foreign to him anyway. "I'm debating the beard, not sure if I wanna keep it or ditch it."

It was a reasonable request, so far as Aasha was concerned. "It's _your_ face, but all the same," she said, and put a hand to his cheek, feeling the hair there. "It's awfully prickly. It looks handsome on you though, it's very distinguished." She said after a minute, trying to figure out how best to word it.

Still behind the bathroom door, Deke pulled some boxer briefs on and opened the door fully, inviting her in. "Well, I'm not trying to attract a mate, so I don't need a display. You said it was prickly?"

Aasha nodded. "Yes love, your body hair is very pokey and sharp." She said, glad he trimmed the hair around his tool on the regular.

"Okay then, that's all I needed to hear." He said, and picked up his trimmer. He flicked it on, and then turned it immediately off when she put a hand on his and gave him a warm and endearing look.

"Please, let me." She asked, batting her eyelashes. "You know how our legs feel, I've been handling them for the past bit." She said, reminding him of the silky smooth skin her own hair removal techniques provided.

"Don't gotta ask me twice." He said, and gathered his hair in a quick and messy ponytail, before sitting on the edge of the tub to give her room to work. She made a loose fist and snapped her fingers open, a web of energy crisscrossing her hands like an electric spider had something to prove.

"It tickles, I promise it doesn't hurt though." Aasha said, and began gently stroking his face. As expected, he snickered and jerked around, trying to ignore the tickling feeling and the burning hair smell. Seeing his face, and noticing it herself, Aasha nodded. "Yeah, smells a bit when the hair's that long."

She kept it up for maybe a minute and a half, just gently touching his face, dragging the electricity in her hand across every spot where it was necessary. When she was finished, she banished the electricity and used her bare palm to stroke his face. "I know _I'm_ satisfied with my work. Take a look and a feel." She said, and stepped back to give him room to stand, frowning at him having to brace on the sink to get to his feet.

That frown disappeared when he patted his cheeks and felt all over his face with a beaming grin. "Ash, you're badass." He said, and placed a kiss on her. "If you ever decided you're done with the hero gig, you could make a fortune running a spa, or salon, or whatever."

"I'd actually considered that for about a minute." She said, testing the edge of her facial mask to see if it had dried enough to wash off. She'd handily forgotten to set a timer. "I don't know that I want to be the first powered person to monetize their abilities though. Something about that just seems so wrong."

"Right?" Deke drawled, gingerly pulling on a pair of basketball shorts and turning back to the mirror to get a brush through his hair. "Black Canary talked to some people on the League a while back, and any time there's a big demolition project in underdeveloped places, I get a call. It's a lot of fun, but I'd feel like a dick trying to get paid to do it. It'd be like Superman sending you an invoice after catching your car after it fell off a bridge."

Aasha giggled at the mental picture and squirmed her way around him to take a seat on the closed toilet. "So, I heard something, and I'm probably not supposed to say this, but nobody told me not to. Want to hear it?"

Pausing his brush, he looked at her for a second. The facial mask made reading her features tricky, but her expression was mischievous, not malicious or worried. "Sure, fire away." He said, waiting to pick his brush back up.

"I heard Pacifica tell Liho she loved him." She said, her voice sounding dreamy.


	22. Chapter 22

May 24th  
Gotham City  
1510 EST

"Guardsman!"

"Guardsman Koa! Sir!"

"Sir!" The Atlantean said, finally swimming in front of Liho and waving at him. He blinked and set the skimming wand next to himself, finally looking at the Atlantean who'd swam up to him and found it so important to make him stop working. She was in the uniform of a civil engineer, with all the accumulated muck and stains of one who didn't like sitting behind a desk.

"Sorry," Liho said sheepishly, turning the power off to the skimmer. "What's up?" he added, rubbing the back of his neck in an embarrassed fashion.

"Guardsman, you're working into the first hour of the second shift. I'm here to relieve you." She said pleasantly, picking up the skimmer wand. "You must enjoy skimming pollution a lot, which is good, because there's so much of it here." She added with a frown. King Orin had called for another battalion of civil engineers to aid in the Atlantean efforts to the surface, just for that purpose. They would be here aiding for some time and desperately needed the clean water to live in.

"No, I just get into doing a thing and kinda forget the world." Liho replied. "Thanks for reminding me to be a person again."

"You're welcome Guardsman." The engineer said with a warm smile. She'd heard stories of many of the elite guard, and Koa was no ghost among them. He was every bit as pleasant and hardworking as she'd heard him to be, even skimming the filth from the water. "Good day to you!"

"You too!" Liho called out, turning to swim away. He took the opportunity to really examine the amount of infrastructure the Atlanteans had set up in just a couple of weeks. Several permanent purifiers were already laid out around the islands that made up Gotham City, and safe places for the tidal generators were already cleared out. They'd be arriving by cargo sub soon enough, paid for by Wayne Enterprises. That Bruce Wayne seemed like such a nice guy too, having donated over a billion dollars towards rebuilding the city.

There was still so much to do. The air-side crews were working in tandem with the surfacers, cleaning out so much rubble and junk, checking buildings, and having to do it all with the general unease and lawlessness of the city. Having met Batman, Liho understood he had a lot of work on his plate in that regard, even with all the help he was getting. One of those souls, Babs, a woman he loved like his mother had birthed her too, had even called him the night before to see if he wanted to help take a couple of bad guys down. It was a good night for him, not so much for Killer Croc, who'd quickly learned the waters were no longer his to rule.

Breaching out of the water like a Great White striking a seal, Liho brought himself up onto the rocky beach and began walking towards the open-air service tents. He liked Atlantean food well enough, but he also liked his food cooked every now and again too. As he walked, he smiled and waved at the crewmen coming off, or going onto shift.

"Please guess who I am!" He heard suddenly, when a slender pair of hands covered his eyes. He paused and grinned, having heard her walk up behind him.

"Somebody beautiful, and you smell awful nice too. Gotta be Pacifica, huh?" He said, turning around, leaving her hands behind his neck so that she could tug him down for a kiss. He placed his hands on her hips and lifted her easily, letting their lips mingle for a moment.

"You in a good mood." He said when he sat her down. "What bring you down to the worker's camps? I thought you were doin' diplomatic stuff."

Pacifica batted her large eyes and brushed her hair away from her face, enjoying the sunlight on her skin for a minute before answering. "Mera would like to speak to you, Liho, and the news is good."

"Yeah? Where she at?" He asked, feeling her hand slip into his so she could guide him. A rush of emotional warmth shot through his body at her touch, especially after what she'd said to him the day of the quake. It left him feeling like a little boy again, a feeling he very much enjoyed.

"She is this way," Pacifica said, and turned to glance at him. "My love." A delighted expression crossed her face at the deep blush that rose to his, and the bashful shrug of his shoulders that accompanied it.

They walked off the beach and into the city, well, more of into the cleared zone. The south end of Gotham took the worst of the damage, being the oldest section of town, almost none of the buildings were able to withstand the quake. A couple of new construction projects that might never see completion remained, but almost nothing else. It left this third of the city looking like a manmade island, largely rocky beach, some surviving pavement, and a lot of empty dirt.

They talked as they walked, catching up with one another's day more than anything. It had become a ritual of hers, to ask him about his day's activities. She never interrogated, and wasn't looking to become clingy. Instead she was genuinely interested in hearing from him. In exchange, she shared her own day, more exciting that skimming oil and other floating unpleasantness.

They finally arrived at the small temporary building that had been erected for the King and Queen to handle business with the surface people. Largely it was FEMA, and on more than one occasion, an enterprising wannabe Mafioso trying to score business. As expected, they were quite handily tossed out, and their faces quietly forwarded to Batman.

Upon entrance, Liho placed his fist over his chest and bowed. "/My Queen, King Orin./" He greeted in broken Atlantean, trying desperately to learn the language and doing less well than he would like. Aquaman and Mera were sitting at a table, looking at a map, and if Liho didn't know any better, he'd say they were playing with toy cars, with all the equipment models setting there.

"Liho," Mera said pleasantly. "Pacifica, be at ease. This is an informal meeting, not court. I summoned you because I have an assignment for you, Guardsman."

"Of course. What you need me do?" Liho asked, still wondering if they played toy cars when nobody else was in the room. He would have.

"I'm due to speak before the surface leadership. You will accompany me on my trip to Washington DC while I reassure the Congresspersons that Atlantis is here purely to render aid. It seems suspicion runs deep on both sides of the tide." Mera said, giving a sidelong glance to Aquaman, who made a small frown and a nod.

"Okay, I'll get my gear packed and be ready to leave. Does my Queen need anything else?" He asked, trying to balance her insistence that this was an informal meeting, and the fact she'd just handed him marching orders.

"No Liho, that's all I needed from you. I wouldn't want to cause an incident by occupying the Duchess' time with you too long. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning, five am local time, so don't stay up too late." Mera said, walking over and putting her hand on his massive shoulder. "One last thing, I promise. Atlantis sees your dedication and hard work. I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Thank you my Queen." Liho said bashfully, feeling Pacifica's hand squeezing his gently. Together, they took a few steps backwards and then turned to exit the temporary structure. For a short distance, they continued to walk in comfortable silence, with Pacifica pulling him towards a stretch of stony shore that had yet to have anything done to it.

"Liho, I would like to speak with you." She said, taking a seat on the smooth-worn stones that made up what amounted to a beach. He sat with her and gave her an open look, clearly inviting her to continue. "I have studied my feelings, and questioned whether they are based on emotion or infatuation. When I arrived upon my conclusion, I wasted no time in telling you, but it seems you are reluctant to echo my affection. Do you not share this with me?"

Liho studied her for another moment. Her large and expressive eyes weren't hiding anything, and her body language was guarded, but it looked like she wasn't mad, just curious. "Pacifica, I'm really sure what I feel is love. I got used though so I'm a little shy about it." He answered, about to skip a stone until he remembered he had coworkers under that water.

"I respect that Liho. My study of surface men has indicated that they are no different than Atlantean men when it comes to this, which is to lie about their feelings for sex. Thank you for not trying to deceive me. Will you hear me out on this matter though?" Pacifica said, leaning into him comfortably.

"You know it. Go for it." He replied, and rested his head on hers as they looked out over the water.

"I wish to end my period of celibacy soon. I would like to further explore our relationship, to examine the depths of it. I have fallen in love with you Liho and I feel prepared to take the next step." Pacifica said, her speech measured and even, as though she had rehearsed it in front of the mirror (which she had, several times). "So, when our business in America's capitol is concluded, I would like to go to the sand with you, in earnest this time. I am not fertile for the time being so it would be purely pleasure, and I would like to seek it with you."

"If you're sure. That whole thing was your idea, and I'm good till you're ready." Liho replied, feeling her slip her hand into his, quietly marveling at how slender her long fingers were.

"I am ready Liho. I am also ready to take an early dinner, and I hope that you would like to join me. Before we go, however, may I ask to hear you say it?" She said, her expression hopeful and earnest.

He only nodded and turned himself around, bringing her gently to the ground before kissing her. It was soft, slow, and so very affectionate. "Pacifica, I love you." He said, before blowing an errant strand of his hair away from his face.

"Liho, I was hoping that you would be the one to properly invite me to dinner, but I believe I like this much more." She said, her cheeks coloring purple. At his shocked and surprised look, she leaned up and kissed him back, echoing his technique. "I believe the term is gotcha?"

May 24th  
Greenup Kentucky  
1635 EST

"Deacon, love, have you seen my sun dress?" Aasha asked, calling out through the house. She'd woken up from a nap, something she'd been doing plenty of lately in an effort to recover from the effort she'd put into countering the earthquake generators, and she was having trouble finding clothes. If either of them had been in any shape to enjoy some naked time, then it would've been excusable, but that hadn't been the case.

"Deke? Are you okay?" She called out again, coming down the stairs and looking around. The television was off, and there was neither smell nor sound to indicate he was working in the kitchen. She dug her phone out of her pocket and checked it, in the event he'd taken off somewhere, he would have let her know. When she saw no messages, her expression grew cloudy.

Moving much faster, she darted outside, and stopped at the door. In the back field of the house, there were several gallon jugs of water floating around in some kind of ballet looking dance, swirling around in three dimensions in torus loops and other sundry complicated maneuvers. Among them, Deke was floating several feet off the ground, his hands out like an orchestra conductor.

Aasha stood there another minute, before slipping her pajama pants off. The house was more than a half a mile away from the closest neighbor, and the back of the house faced a curving hill. There was more than enough privacy that she wasn't concerned about strolling around in her panties out there, and with the heat of the day, it was necessary.

Quietly, she watched, waiting for him to either falter, or stop on his own. She'd heard Barbara plainly say he needed to work himself out to shake the muscle atrophy from his self-induced coma, but he had a horrible habit of punching above his weight, and it left her wondering if this was the case.

Aasha couldn't discount the view though. Garbed only in board shorts, she had an excellent view of the musculature of his back, which rippled and moved of its own accord as he guided the jugs around in the complicated pattern he'd cooked up. She'd never really seen this effect before, the way his entire body engaged when he worked telekinetically. She understood that it worked off of the electrical impulses to his muscles, but seeing them move like that was new territory for her, and she liked it.

Before they'd ever played together, that first time a few years ago, she'd never really looked at him as a potential lover, but opinions change of course, and now, there was a desire creeping up within her. She wanted to just touch him all over, and get touched. A small part of her lamented that he didn't behave as dominant as he looked, but in the grand scheme of things, she knew she was still loved, and that's all that mattered.

"If I weren't so tired." She muttered quietly to herself. Ever since Babs had given her the go-ahead to have him by herself, she'd been waiting patiently to enjoy some time with him. It wasn't lust, not entirely. As much as he'd said she was easy to love, so was he, and the care and affection he'd shown her when he wasn't allowed to touch her had caused her to bond quickly with him.

"You say something?" He asked, letting the jugs down gently. Turning as he came to rest on the ground, he smiled at her, taking a minute to mop the sweat from his face with an old rag.

"Nothing important love. I came out looking for my sun dress and saw you practicing. Did I interrupt you?" She asked, walking up to him and craning her neck up for a kiss. Bloody tall people and their difficulties in being affectionate with, it made her life much trickier sometimes.

"Should be in the dryer. I woke up feeling a little better so I did laundry before I came out here." He said, leaning down and placing the kiss she wanted on her pillow soft lips. "You look rather uh, liberated."

Aasha looked down. Dressed in a tank top and her panties, she certainly looked like she didn't have a care in the world. "It's so hot here, do you expect me to do, especially when someone took her most weather appropriate clothing." She said, poking him softly in the pec.

"Apparently turn into your girlfriend." He drawled, looking down at her poking finger, still placed against his chest. "Not that I mind, I'm pretty much used to it."

"Well that's good to know. How are you feeling?" She asked sweetly, noticing he seemed more chipper than he had this time yesterday. Barbara had given her explicit instructions on what to look for and report back with, and Aasha considered this a very important mission.

"Honestly sweetie, better. I'm beginning to think I could have taken the guy if I wasn't still shaking the last little bits of Darkseid and Grodd going to town on me." He replied, taking her hand and heading back towards the house with her. That was specifically something she was supposed to listen for though. The minute he even remotely said anything concerning going back after the other guy (Sawyer, he'd called him.), she had to mention it.

"Well, let's not rush to find out, okay?" Aasha said, squeezing his hand as they entered the nice cool house. She'd grown up in England, and then moved to New England. Her time in Florida had taught her about heavy heat and humidity, but the temperature and moisture in the air here was absolutely vicious, and this was from someone who couldn't be harmed by natural elements.

"Oh, no rush. Just looking back on it is all." He said, and opened the fridge, taking a bottle of water for himself and offering her one. She took it, and popped the lid off, sipping lightly at it. "What were your plans for tomorrow anyway? Think you'll have enough energy to do a few things?"

"Love, if you're propositioning me, all I can say is, wait and see." She said, her libido screaming at her but the rest of her body happy at the decision. "I could maybe see to you, my knees aren't too tired." She added so as not to seem too frigid.

Deke blinked twice at that before elaborating quickly. "Wow, okay, that's really hot, but I actually wanted to take you somewhere. Babs and Liho texted while I was doing laundry, she's going to be another day in Gotham, and he's going to DC with an Atlantean retinue for some kinda meeting with Congress. I thought we'd Zeta in and let you see the capitol and stuff."

Aasha colored at misunderstanding him, but got over it quickly. "That could be a lot of fun. I've never been to Washington, which is supposed to be an immigrant's pilgrimage or something. Have you been there?"

"Yeah, Dad was stationed at Norfolk when I was really little; it's been a long time though. Fortunately, the DC Zeta depot's in the Hall of Justice, so we're not too far from Capitol Hill. You interested?"

"Yes I am love, but first things first. I'd like a little something to eat. Shall I cook for us?" She asked, headed back towards the fridge. His hand on the small of her back stopped her though, causing her to turn around and glance at him.

"Papi's favorite phrase at a time like this is, 'this is why man invented the wallet.' And I have a little bit of fun money left. No reason to work yourself over too much." Deke said gently. Her cooking wasn't that horrible, but she was still showing severe exhaustion.


	23. Chapter 23

May 25th  
Washington DC  
0945 EST

Aasha spent much of the trip in quiet awe of the Capitol Mall. Seeing all of the monuments spread out, telling their stories of American history, it had been so exciting that she'd wanted to do it all immediately. "It's like the National Treasure films." She finally exclaimed to Deke, while they were having a coffee on a bench.

"You know, I could totally steal the Declaration of Independence." They heard from behind them. Glancing back and already putting himself into combat mode, Deke immediately relaxed as he saw their newer teammate Fujin. "Not that I would, of course, not without a really good reason."

"Babysitter?" Aasha asked, glancing at the plain clothed metahuman. Though, plain was a subjective term. In a nice cream colored summer weight suit, sans tie, and with pushed sleeves, and wearing costly sunglasses (more likely Fractal brand high-tech knockoffs), he looked like he belonged in the city.

"Yeah, basically." Will replied, taking the seat Aasha scooted towards Deke to provide. "Kris is up and around again, so he's not taking chances with anyone. He's got Ingrid in Gotham right now, making sure Liho and Pacifica are fully covered."

"They're here right now. We're meeting them at noon." Deke replied, trying to avoid sounding sour about having another babysitter. With Aasha still recuperating, and with him still healing and fighting the atrophy, having some backup in the event things went south wasn't such a terrible idea. "Coming with us?"

"Oh yeah, I have to. I'm supposed to ask if you have your hex bags too." Will said casually, like he was letting them in on the secret details of his mission. "Like you'd forget." He added, nodding to Aasha.

"Yes, we have them." Aasha said, pulling hers up from beneath her dress, nestled within her humble cleavage. "And why did they use voodoo for these? The van van oil makes me smell like I've been polishing furniture." She added with a frown.

"Aren't you the one that's supposed to answer that?" Will asked, giving Deke a look like he didn't really understand what the hell was going on. It was actually fitting, because he didn't really understand what the hell was going on. "Because that's kinda the opposite of my wheelhouse."

"It's a valid approach, but not the one I'd prefer. There's a line a girl has to draw when smelling like lemongrass." Aasha said, curling closer into Deke. It wasn't because she felt uncomfortable around Will. Even when he had been checking her out, he wasn't creepy, it was more a matter of feeling comfortable around Deke and still needing that.

"Oh hey, don't think I'm arguing with you on it. Have you guys eaten yet? I know a great steakhouse, brunch is on me." Will offered. "I have to babysit you, I might as well make you feel better about it."

"Hell I ain't gonna turn down a free meal." Deke drawled, patting Aasha on the hip affectionately. He could feel the questions behind Will's thoughts, but they were coupled with a certain level of respect and a strong measure of restraint. In that regard, Will reminded Deke a lot of Nightwing. He had amazing control over his own mind, and it was appreciated. "You can ask us whatever it is you wanna know while we're eating too. It's gotta be more interesting than Kris' mission reports."

Will nodded. "Yes please. Let's go so we have enough time to eat before the Congressional address is done. Not that we need to rush, they're politicians, they love to hear themselves talk." 

* * *

"So, just like that? There's gotta be more than that." Will asked, gently probing for more information while they walked away from the steakhouse. The three of them were casually walking through downtown Washington DC, a neighborhood full of the old row houses that were popular in construction during the early days of the nation.

"Well yeah, there's more, but at the end of the day, what's done is done and there's no going back." Deke said, feeling Aasha's small hand slip into his, with a level of ease that spoke well of her girlfriend. He'd barely noticed it and he'd been running more vigilant.

"Well, I wouldn't mind returning to Monaco under more pleasant circumstances." Aasha said, feeling absolutely stuffed to the gills. She'd finished an entire child's portion and felt like she was about to burst at the seams, but she _did_ finish it, which was a clear indication that she'd needed to eat. "So let's not get hasty about saying there's no going back."

"I hate that I was still in prison when that happened." Will said, genuinely interested in the way the two answered. He loved studying people, and had actually gotten his degree in prison, double majoring in psychology and sociology. It had started as part of the job, building on a natural talent of reading people, and turned into a legitimate fascination. "Sorry if I'm interrogating, but I love this kind of stuff."

Deke looked at Ash, who simply shrugged. "It's not a problem Will. It was our first big mission in the 'taking down bad guys' portion of the game, there were bound to be mistakes. I would have been able to contribute a lot more if I'd had more practice under my belt."

"Yeah or taking Knockout down first." Deke murmured. "If I ran across her today, it'd be a whole other game, but then, I didn't know my ass from a hole in the ground, and I thought I was such a badass."

Aasha yawned again and squeezed his hand. "Look at it this way, if you hadn't gotten so trounced, where do you think you and the missus would be right now? Furthermore, would we be right here, right now?"

"She's got a point big man." Will said, remembering not to refer to him as Cowboy. "I'm curious though, do you all know what you're gonna do about a place to live, or school or work for that matter?" He asked, something he'd been curious about since he'd heard they lived there.

Deke wrapped an arm around Aasha's waist and spun her around to set her down gently, eliciting a giggle from her. "Honestly, I dunno. Gotham University was far enough away from the furthest generators to survive with minimal damage, but the clinic I was doing my educational residency at is kind of a lost cause. Ash, your gallery was in the newer part of the city, so it had to be built to code, right?"

She nodded at that, trying to ignore the fatigue building up in her body. "Yes, it's damaged, but repairable. I won't be working for a while though." She said with a frown.

"Oh, you guys didn't know?" Will asked, surprised they were so worried about it. When both Deke and Aasha gave him puzzled looks, he elaborated. "About an hour before I tracked you two down, the news was saying that the President released funds to FEMA for all Gotham residents displaced by the quake. Not long after, Wayne Industries, Queen Consolidated, and LuthorCorp all volunteered to match those figures. You guys are due a reasonably fair sum of money once you claim it."

" _That's_ the news she texted me about." Deke said. "Bee messaged me right before we left saying she had some good news to tell me about once she got home. Though, I dunno how good it is if LuthorCorp is throwing their hat in the ring on it."

"It's the biggest disaster the United States has ever faced. Dude, Darkseid didn't even wreck Metropolis near as bad. If Luthor hadn't done something like this, their stock would still be in the basement after releasing the Reach sodas. They'll finish the day fifteen points up, I guarantee it." Will replied, having looked at the trends and applied what he knew. He'd worked a shark tank for about a week to make some fast money to get out of the country, and picked up some considerable knowledge about the market.

"Okay, fair enough." Deke said, realizing this wasn't where his learning and experience resided. "We'll need to get a cab though, someone's looking worn out, and I'm not much better off" He added, looking at the now lagging Aasha and feeling the burn in his own legs.

She frowned at him, trying her level best to keep up but still reeling from everything. With a fully tummy, she was doubly ready for another nap. "I'll manage." She said, but hoped it wasn't that convincing.

"I hailed an Uber three blocks back." Will said, showing his phone. Their driver, Mohammed, was on his way. "Believe it or not, but I really do take things seriously."

"I didn't doubt you." Deke said in a friendly tone, leading Aasha to another bench. His legs were beginning to burn anyway, so the stop was doing both of them some good. The three of them waited there for a few more minutes, during which time Aasha curled back up against Deke, threatening to nap on him without saying a word.

He shifted his perceptions to see her body's natural energy flow after a minute. He wasn't quite as accustomed to helping her reset as he was Barbara, but the difference wasn't much. What he did see was worrying him though. Because she was conceived under the influence of alchemy, sorcery, and during some auspicious time for magic, her body served as a feedback loop, constantly generating energy. It should have been bright and luminous, but instead, she was dim. He took her small hand and aligned himself to her, an easy task all things considered, and began pushing into her.

Immediately, he felt his body begin screaming. Much like his telekinetics, psychometabolic action had something to do with the electrical impulses in his muscles. Usually, it was a steady burn, but in his own weakened state, that steady burn was closer to standing in the middle of a blast furnace.

"Love, you don't have to do this." Aasha said, causing Will to really look at them for a minute. "He's trying to heal me." She explained to him, seeing his curious look.

"Oh, I heard you can do that. Don't take it the wrong way, but I kinda hope I don't need you to do that to me." Will said, quietly observing the two. He felt fortunate that he was working so closely with such fascinating people.

"No offense taken, I'd be happy if I never needed to either." Deke said through a grimace, ignoring Aasha for the time being. "But it's exercise too." He added in counterargument, doing everything he could to cowboy through it. Aasha was far tougher than she looked, both physically and mentally, but where Barbara would get annoyed that he was pushing too hard, Aasha needed the security that he was offering. He was terrified for the day that something broke her.

"Well, you'll have time to work at it, our Uber's here, and traffic's gonna be awful." Will said, seeing the small van pull up.

May 25th  
Washington DC  
1100 EST

Liho stood outside the Congressional chambers, half annoyed that he wasn't in the room with his Queen, and half pleased for the same reason. He had no idea what they were talking about, even though he could easily hear it with his enhanced auditory implants. Standing next to him on the opposite side of the door was a Secret Service member, who seemed just as thrilled to be there. Unfortunately, he wasn't the chattiest guy, meaning for the past few hours Liho had been forced to stand there in relative quiet.

"… _I believe our business is concluded then, Queen Mera. The United States thanks Atlantis for its aid, and I personally thank you for taking the time to come and talk to us today._ " He heard from the Minnesotan congressman.

" _Atlantis thanks you, Congresspersons, for inviting me here for this opportunity to strengthen the bond between our two nations. I wish you all good tides and fair weather._ "

"Hey, they're done in there." Liho said to the Secret Serviceman opposite him. He then stepped a bit off to the side, and waited to escort his Queen once she exited the chambers. As expected, she and her retinue left the room with no real fanfare, instead calmly exiting. Mera paused long enough to allow Liho to catch up, and the group of Atlanteans began walking out of the building.

"I believe this was more productive than I expected." Mera said, hazarding a glance at her guardsman. "I trust their own security procedures weren't problematic?"

"No ma'am." Liho replied. "Nothing I could see or hear anyway. If I had to guess, they just happy to have free help. I did overhear a couple people saying something about a few other countries offering to help too. Just gotta make sure Gotham's safe enough for them to be able to pitch in."

"Such is why there are so many more pictures of Batman in the news of late. I understand his work is cut out for him, though, if I also heard correctly, one of my elite guards has been helpful with that as well." Mera said with a sidelong smirk.

"I uh, I wouldn't know anything about that." Liho replied bashfully, playing along with her. It wasn't a far reach to assume his charge was easier to talk to than some others in his unique profession. "I do know we have a police escort all the way to the airport, and the car supposed to be waiting outside. I dunno how I feel about them wondering why I wasn't carrying a weapon though."

Mera glanced at Liho, and then over to Pacifica, who'd been quietly flanking her the entire time. "Let them wonder, and hope they need no reason to find out why." She said, keeping optimistic about this being a nice, calm meeting of leadership. "But expect more of this later. I wouldn't be surprised if the American President doesn't make an appearance once Gotham has been calmed enough."

"I have been led to understand that the Bat family has been working, what is the word? Overtime? To ensure that this happens sooner than later. That so many were able to respond so quickly has certainly aided this." Pacifica said, feeling uncomfortable in the surfacer's idea of what a professional woman should wear, and knowing her beloved was similarly uncomfortable in the suit he had been forced to dress in.

"This isn't false." Mera replied, turning around the corner to the exit to see a crowd of media waiting. "However, I'm not looking forward to this. Pacifica, be happy that you sit where you do in the order of succession. I don't see how Wonder Woman does this."

"As I understand it, Wonder Woman had little choice but to excel at this portion of her life." Pacifica said, to which Liho nodded. He'd had a chance to sit and talk to the woman herself after their visit to Themyscira, and she'd proven to be honest and charming company.

"Lemme put my 'No comment' face on." Liho said, flattening his expression and adding a bit of a threatening scowl. For someone who tried to live his life in the most positive manner possible, the expression was foreign, but it was unfortunately also well practiced.

"Please do not Liho." Pacifica said, placing a hand on his arm. "If her majesty will permit it?"

"Of course I do Pacifica." Mera replied simply, and placed a hand on the door, waiting to open it. She glanced backwards though and saw her cousin slip her arm into Liho's, turning him from Royal Guardsman to gentleman escort with the simplest of gestures. "It's been no secret that you want to be seen with the man you've chosen, and it would be ill of me to not to permit it."


	24. Chapter 24

May 25th  
Gotham City  
1445 EST

There was a satisfying crunch beneath Robin's knuckles when he drove his fist into the face of the Penguin's henchman. When the mook crumpled and went deadweight, Damien released him and turned to face the rotund criminal boss. "I'm surprised Hush didn't dispose of you when he had the opportunity." The son of the Bat said through narrowed eyes. "Perhaps disappointed is more correct though."

"Young man, let's not get hasty." Penguin said, backpedaling quickly. "There's nothing here that would incriminate me in court."

Robin just glared, and casually tossed a small piece of equipment into the large aquarium tank behind the Penguin. Immediately, it released its charge. Sure, it probably killed a dozen fish, but it also stunned the leopard seals that also resided in the tank the Penguin was edging towards.

"Try again, fat man." Robin said, still stalking his prey. He whipped a batarang after two more steps, this one nice and sharp, pinning the umbrella that was also getting within the Penguin's reach.

"I don't suppose you'd be interested in money? Batman can't be paying his whelps that much." Penguin said, trying a new approach. Whether Batman paid his associates or if they worked on a volunteer basis had been a subject of much conversation among the criminal element of Gotham.

"You can't pay me anyway, don't bother." Robin replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest and giving the Penguin a smug grin.

"Whatever do you uuuughh!" Penguin said, before he felt a knotted leather braid around his neck. Tension was applied to it, and he immediately felt himself get flipped and tossed. Once he was on his back, and saw Catwoman's boot coming down casually on his throat, he knew he'd been had.

"Selena, come to relieve me of my rainy day fund?" Penguin said, glancing up at the woman he'd hired to acquire a few things for him in the past. Shame she'd never shown interest in making money in any _other_ ways.

"A woman's got to eat Ozzie." She said, emphasizing the nickname that Penguin hated so much. "And you had so much that I got a nice cut, and there's plenty left over to give to some of the newly displaced people of the city. It's a shame, you had a chance to really cement yourself as pillar of the community. The people really loved Capone after all. But, that's what separates the good from the great I suppose. Robin, you had some questions you wanted to ask him, I think?"

Robin nodded and punched his own palm, giving a squeeze to crack his knuckles. "Someone had to have help moving those earthquake generators into the city. I want names." 

* * *

Batgirl stood on the roof of the building opposite Batman's current location, waiting for the signal. Beside her, Artemis, Huntress, and Flamebird waited with her. All three of the Birds looked worse for wear, with Huntress' left thigh in a bandage, and Artemis's eye sporting a nice shiner under her mask. Only Flamebird looked unscathed, but under her costume, her ribs were wrapped tighter than a sausage.

"I never would have believed Catwoman would have been so helpful." Artemis said, breaking the silence. "I thought she was dyed in the wool out for herself."

Batgirl was glad she was in front of them, so they couldn't see the face she'd instinctively made at that statement. Fighting her amusement down, she glanced backwards at the rest of the Birds. "Selena _is_ always in it for herself. She just found a new way to go about things that didn't involve jail time."

"Speaking of jail time, did we really have to arrest Harley Quinn? She was trying to help out after all." Huntress said, a statement which drew looks from both Batgirl and Flamebird.

"Huntress, she was trying to help out, _with a bazooka_." Flamebird replied tartly. "And half her gang was so busy trying not to get caught looting that they weren't helping either.

"I kinda do feel bad about arresting her, actually." Batgirl said thoughtfully, watching Batman's progress on her wrist computer. He was bearing as much beating as all the Birds of Prey put together, and she knew it. That he'd specifically asked for them to remain on post spoke volumes as to how much. "It's a setback, and she's legitimately trying."

"Right now I don't even think the cops can hold her. Maybe we can catch her and have a talk with her." Artemis offered, though that seemed to make Flamebird nervous.

"She still scares the piss out of me." Flamebird said, fidgeting with her goggles. She didn't know where Babs had gotten them, but they had a lot of interesting functions she'd had a lot of fun playing with. Now she just needed a real costume instead of the leotard and hoodie.

A sudden explosion of glass caused by a man being tossed out a window, only to be caught by one of Batman's lines, interrupted the Birds. When he began getting winched up slowly, Batgirl turned to face her team. "Okay, he's got this handled, let's be useful elsewhere."

"Like catching that wannabe Joker people keep talking about?" Artemis asked, referencing the stories of a guy who looked like a yellow skinned Joker but seemed oddly willing to help. "At least figure out why he's posing as _that_ guy. He's creeping people out."

"Worth a shot, but it's low priority. I'm sure we'll run into something while we're running down leads though." Batgirl said, grabbing her grapnel gun from her belt. 

* * *

Two quick escrima shots with his batons met the Scarecrow dead on in the masked face. Nightwing shook his head clear and followed it up with a quick kick to keep him stunned long enough to take a back mount, before applying a textbook choke. Silently, he cursed himself for not getting a booster of the anti-toxin to the Scarecrow's fear gas before he'd gone hunting.

"Red Robin, I've got Scarecrow." Nightwing said, tapping his comms. Tim had been good enough to come back to Gotham to help, especially considering the Titans were still helping Coast City after Sinestro and his corps had shown up to start a fight with Hal Jordan.

He glanced around the Scarecrow's lair as he waited for Tim's response. What remained of his crew was tied up or cuffed, and that now included the Scarecrow himself. What really caught his eye was the laptop sitting quietly in the corner giving off a harsh, but dim light, completely incongruent to the spook show the rest of the ruined and abandoned dock warehouse was decked out in.

Nightwing activated the taser function on the cuffs he'd clasped onto Scarecrow, and walked over there. He plugged his wrist computer into the laptop and ran a few security programs before tapping on the laptop's keyboard for a few minutes. "Thanks for not encrypting the data Scarecrow." He called out to the unconscious villain, hearing Red Robin finally give confirmation on his radio.

What was laid bare before him; that was interesting stuff. There were dates, shipping manifests, a load of e-mails, and more. It was an evidentiary treasure trove. He flicked a few buttons on his wrist computer, and captured an image of the laptop's hard drive, before closing the thing and tucking it under his arm. "So, thanks for this. You just blew the lid off my investigation."

Scarecrow was barely mumbling something when Red Robin showed up, with Bunker and Blue Beetle in tow. "Brought a little backup." He said almost sheepishly. The kid was a certifiable genius, but he still felt a little unsure of himself and it was moments like this that made that clear.

"Can you handle this? I've got to get to the cave, Batman's gonna wanna see what Scarecrow had." Nightwing replied, clapping his former partner on the shoulder. He walked outside and spared a glance at the Gotham waterfront. The newer shipping and receiving area had been less affected than the docks in Old Gotham, but there were still less than half the buildings still standing. The several cheap hotels, greasy eateries, and other necessary support business were largely also piles of rubble, though with Scarecrow handled, Nightwing assumed there'd be crews edging back up into this area before long.

A buzzing at his right side paused him while he loaded the laptop into the saddlebag of his bike. Tapping the answer button, he glanced around vigilantly while he spoke. "This is Nightwing, go ahead." He said, straddling the high performance motorcycle.

"Oh, hello Kori, I'm surprised to hear from you." He said in a kind and gentle tone. That woman had recently gone through something terrible in the loss of her lover. "I'd be happy to talk to you, that's why I gave you my contact info. No, not tonight, but soon, sure. Is the place in Blüdhaven treating you okay?" he asked, and simply Bat-glared at someone trying to sneak around him. They scurried off quickly enough.

"Yeah, their food is great, you'll love it. Okay, sure, talk to you then." He said, and ended the call. Nightwing's face scrunched up as he started his bike, and his brain was running on overtime, splitting his attention between the laptop, and Starfire. He'd let her stay at his place while she sorted out her grief, since having her in Gotham while she collected herself emotionally was a ticking nuke. It also meant things he wasn't ready to admit to himself after burying the original Roy less than two weeks ago.

May 25th  
Washington DC  
1500 EST

"If Kris and Mads were here, we'd have the whole team." Aasha said, batting her eyes sleepily. Like she'd been all day, she was curled up against Deke as they sat in the coffee shop, spread out between a couple of sofas and some comfortable chairs. "Well, most of the team anyway."

Liho nodded. "Yeah, dunno what Ingrid's doing right now. She probably still in Gotham, bustin' ass." He said, looking at his tiny sister. He could see the worry on Deke's face too, both of them continually casting glances towards her. Before he said something though, he tapped Pacifica on the leg and pointed her out to the other sorceress.

Recognizing the situation, Pacifica spoke up. "Aasha, it is surface tradition for females to travel to the restroom in packs, is it not?"

Yawning quietly, Aasha nodded. "Yes, though I've no idea why. Would you like the company?" She asked, sitting herself up and rubbing her eyes. She'd nearly fallen asleep on Deke three times that day, and had actually succeeded once during their ride in the Uber.

"Please." Pacifica said sweetly, and rose from her seat, waiting on the much smaller woman to join her as they strolled towards the ladies room. "You are unwell." She said finally, once they were clear of where Liho, Will, and Deke sat, and ideally away from Liho's enhanced hearing, her words a plain statement, not a question.

Aasha frowned as they entered the restroom. "You noticed that, huh?" she asked, checking the stalls to see if they were alone. "I think I burned myself out. I tried countershaking the earth to keep the damage down, and then I had to call down lightning to strike Black Adam. The magic in the word I used worked an absolute doozy on me, and I'm knackered for it."

"When you say you feel you burned yourself out, could you elaborate please?" Pacifica said, making a few gestures at the door. A series of sigils appeared around the frame. To Aasha's trained eye, they were wards that would prevent intrusion or eavesdropping.

"I don't know. I've been feeling more and more drained as the days pass. Mustang tried healing me for a while, which helped, but only for a little bit. It's like I'm paying back something for having the magical power to do what I did." She said, leaning against the bathroom counter. She dug into her purse to freshen her makeup, figuring if she was there, she might as well.

"I will ask Mera if she has any knowledge of rituals that might help you in invigorating or restoring yourself. May I ask what your mental foci are? That might be of great assistance." Pacifica asked, realizing just how personal a question she was asking a woman she really didn't know all that well.

Aasha blushed, setting her compact down. "Originally, I focused inward, which worked, but once I started forming bonds, I found them to be much more effective. When I work water, I think of Liho, for example, and focus on what _he_ is in the world. Mostly though, I think of Deacon and Bee. They're very important to me. I want them to be proud, I want them to know I can stand up for them if necessary."

Pacifica nodded thoughtfully. "Sex magic might be helpful. Perhaps a simple containment ritual before the act, and then join with your lovers. If they provide such emotional and mental stability to you, then the act should be quite empowering. I know in your situation that would be my first attempt to right myself."

Aasha frowned at that. "I would love to, but given what we all do, getting both of them, and in the mood at that, might be more difficult than usual given recent developments. Though," she added, seeing Pacifica give that same look Babs did when she had dropped a hint and was waiting on someone to figure the rest out. "I could keep from getting worse with either of them I think, and while I'm much too tired to perform, there are other acts of intimacy that don't demand so much physically."

"If that does not help, I will speak to Mera and the other scholars at the Conservatory. I am ashamed Atlantis is not more prepared to accept surfacers, you would find the Conservatory fascinating." Pacifica said, eliminating her wards. The important conversation had passed. "May I speak to you on another matter, before we rejoin the men?"

"Of course." Aasha said, stifling another yawn. "What can I do for you?"

"I wish to study surface magic as well. Are there texts you can recommend?" Pacifica said, trying to keep the woman mentally engaged. Much like her teammates, she was becoming extremely concerned for Aasha, and having a much better grasp on the draining effects of magic, she knew exactly where she was coming from.

"I have several at the Hacienda." Aasha said, smiling softly at the much taller Pacifica. "You're more than welcome to grab them from my bookshelves in my room."

"I will do that then. Let us return before the men grow too concerned for our disappearance. I imagine both Liho and Deacon are concerned for us." Pacifica said, stepping away from the door so they could leave. What she didn't say was that their concern was more for Aasha. It didn't need mentioned.


	25. Chapter 25 ( nomeL)

**Hello readers! Just popping in to see how everyone is enjoying the story so far. Yes, I'm pandering for reviews. Please?**

* * *

May 27th  
Greenup Kentucky  
1300 EST

Barbara stepped into her boy's house (she supposed it was hers too, or would be before long, but didn't want to make that kind of presumption yet) with two large bags of groceries under her arms and her backpack full to bursting. "Hello you two!" she called out; setting the food on the table and slipping her backpack off and letting it sit in a chair.

"Hello love!" Aasha said, waving from her spot on the couch. She was currently sitting up and flipping through a book while Deke seemed to be stretched out next to her and catching a snooze. "Sorry if my texts were too insistent."

Barbara shook her head and put the perishables in the fridge, figuring she could handle the rest later, and stepped into the living room. "No, I missed you too." She said, rubbing the ribs on her left side. "You seem in high spirits."

"I am, now that you're here, but it's a bit conditional." Aasha said, patting the corner of the sectional (the cuddle corner, she'd dubbed it.). She watched Barbara walk that way, and it wasn't hard to read the curiosity on the woman's face.

"Conditional?" Barbara asked, cocking an eyebrow once she'd sat down. "Your good mood is conditional based on something you want me to do?"

Aasha nodded. "Pacifica suggested something that might help me jumpstart myself, but it relies on you agreeing. Basically, we'd need to perform ritual sex." She said with a red face, watching Barbara's face for clues on her reaction, and not liking the sorrowful look she was being given.

"Ash, honey, with everything going on, I'm really not much in the mood to be playful." Barbara said apologetically. "Believe me, I could use it myself, but the well's gone dry so to speak. I haven't even felt remotely interested in sex for almost a month now."

"I thought you might feel that way, because honestly, we're both feeling the same way." Aasha said, patting Deke on the feet both to emphasize her statement, as well as feel some support for what she had to say next. "So, I got us an aphrodisiac, if you're willing to consent to it."

"Are you talking about some kind of magic potion or something? Baby, you know how I feel about taking drugs." Barbara replied. She despised the concept, especially since her mother had left due to a growing drug addiction. The idea that it was something she might have inherited terrified her something awful, and frequently under-medicating when she injured herself enough to warrant it.

"Not a magic potion." Aasha said, and raised her voice. "Mads, if you could please?" she called out. From the bathroom built off the kitchen, Maddie stepped out, dressed perfectly plain, and with a peculiar smile on her face. Ever since Ash had propositioned her for this, she'd been feeling particularly peppy.

"Oh, pheromone control." Barbara said, smiling at their surprise visitor. "That's what Ash meant by consent. You want to use your powers to get our switches flipped?"

"More or less, yeah." Maddie said, sitting on the edge of the couch. "Deke already said he'd agree if you did."

Barbara scratched her chin in thought, mulling the situation over. "She didn't invite you to participate, did she?" she finally asked, after considering everything else. It was for Aasha, who'd desperately needed it. Since she didn't understand magic, she could only assume that everything was on the level.

Maddie shook her head. "No, I'm not getting involved, which is a hell of a shame. What I do need to do though, is make sure I can get you turned on, for me. I know what you're thinking too, but the most I'd have to touch any of you would be in perfectly safe places. Maybe a kiss on the neck or something, but really, I'm fairly sure I could do it without laying a finger on anyone but myself."

"Why do I get the feeling you said that so particularly for a reason?" Barbara asked, feeling relieved that she wasn't again asking to have sex with them. "And does Will know about this? I don't want to cause some kind of problem with you two. You've seemed so happy lately."

Maddie nodded. "He knows, and he understands what the situation is. That's why I didn't even bother trying to say I had to be involved too. This is for Ash, not me. As for me saying anything particularly, yes it was for a reason. I'll basically be real life porn for you three."

"And that's it?" Barbara asked, understanding she was offering to get frisky with herself in an effort to get a rise out of them, enough so that her pheromones could take effect. "I thought you said your pheromones didn't work on Deke because of how he felt about me though."

"Yeah, but that's because I wanted him to do things _to_ me, not _because of_ me. In addition to porn, call it aromatherapy. The next part though you might be less cool about though. I'd like to watch." Maddie said, fully expecting the look on Barbara's face. "I've been involved in a lot of sexual acts Babs, but this is something totally new. I've never seen sex magic before, and honestly, I'm fascinated by the idea of it."

Barbara sat there quietly for a while, still considering things. She'd been putting Maddie off since the first time she'd met her, mostly because of how off-putting she'd behaved towards her and Deke. This wasn't for her though, it was for Aasha. She loved Aasha, dearly, and if she believed this would help her get back into shape, how could she say no? "Okay, for Ash." She said finally.

"Splendid!" Aasha said, followed by an adorable yawn. All of her yawns were adorable, this one perhaps a bit more-so, especially since Barbara had once said how much she loved them. "I've got the bedroom set up with the necessary materials to trap and magnify the energies. Mads, you've got everything you need up there too, right?"

Maddie nodded. "Yeah, I've got something sexy and a couple of my favorite toys just in case. Before you're certain though, like I said, I might need to nibble a neck or kiss someone." She cautioned Barbara again.

"It's for Ash." Barbara replied. "I think I'll be able to handle it."

* * *

Aasha, Barbara, and Deke got into his bedroom and hopped onto the bed, as per Aasha's request. "No sense in beating around the bush about things, let's get undressed, shall we?" Ash said, trying to stave off her exhaustion and at least pretend to be turned on. She reached for Barbara's shirt hem, and began tugging on it.

Also trying to get into the spirit of things, Barbara let her, and swatted her boy on the leg. "C'mon mister, if we're ditching knickers, you are too." She said, showing Aasha the tip of her tongue before leaning in and taking a kiss from her.

With a shrug, Deke got up off his bed and stood in front of them, peeling his shirt off in a manner which seemed to always work for both of them. He used the fabric covering his face as a prime chance to cover a wince at the motion too. He'd been working himself out like he was supposed to, and he was definitely feeling it.

"Good Lord you're all so hot." Maddie said, fanning herself as she slipped into the room. Decked out in matching deep red bra, panties, stockings, and garter belt, she looked all manner of sexy herself. "And you wonder why I kept hitting on you? Babs, the tits on you, I swear." she added with a smile. Seduction always started with words, and it was a skill she'd mastered at a very young age.

"Thank you Mads." Barbara said, breaking her kiss with Aasha to nibble on her boy's abs. He shivered and snickered both at that, before finally tossing his shirt and reaching around to unclasp her bra. Instinctively, she covered her breasts with her arm, before remembering the situation and forcing herself to get comfortable. "Go ahead and ask."

"Ask nothing chick. I'm telling you, those are perfect, and that tattoo is sexy too. I'm glad I'm supposed to be playing with myself, because I would've done it anyways." Maddie said with a wink. She glanced at Aasha, who was struggling with her shirt, and watched Deke help her out of it, taking the opportunity to really observe how they handled each other.

Like she'd said to him before, her experience was purely carnal, she'd never seen three legitimate in-love lovers go at it before. He used his hands well with her, not being excitedly urgent, but instead carefully, and gently, nibbling on her earlobe while he did it, and whispering something to her that brought a small blush.

Once Aasha's arms were free from her shirt, she reached out and took Barbara's breasts in her hands, squeezing and kneading them, before tugging at the girl's nipple rings. When Barbara hissed in pleasure, Maddie couldn't suppress a smirk, she'd expected as much from the Batgirl. What she hadn't expected was the bruising on the girl's ribs. Deep in her heart, it left her worried. Despite wanting to fuck them senseless, she really did care.

"You fuck with your pants on Mustang?" Maddie asked, before unclasping her bra and tossing it at him. "I was promised a show in payment."

Sheepishly, Deke tucked his thumbs into his shorts and tugged at them. Barbara giggled at him and grabbed them by the legs and fully shucked her boy, leaving him standing there naked as the day he was born. In retaliation, he flicked Maddie's bra back at her telekinetically, which she caught out of the air.

"I dunno why I'm being shy, it's not like you haven't seen it before." Deke said, flopping down on the bed and joining Aasha in getting Barbara's jeans off of her. He pulled them off gently, trying to take his time and maybe stir some anticipation up in her. It seemed to work because he actually got goosebumps from it.

"Yeah, but this is a lot more fun than the locker room." Maddie said, watching Aasha lean over Babs to get her nipples licked. It was about time they started getting into things. She could tell the lack of interest though, more like they were going through the motions, and that just would not do. She pushed out with her pheromones, pure mating attraction, trying to stir that desire within them.

As they continued to fully undress and begin getting into business, she caught a bit of flush on Barbara's skin, but no ram in Deke's rod, or any reaction on Aasha's body at all. "Okay, time to get serious." She said, slowly strolling over to the bed. "You three are certain?" she asked one more time.

When they all nodded, she leaned over and brushed Barbara's cheek, placing a long, slow kiss on her. When the redhead made a startled noise at the unexpected tongue ring, Maddie inwardly smiled. She broke it off after a minute and smiled at Barbara, who'd definitely developed a much greater flush across her chest and face. One down, two more to go.

"Aasha, c'mere." She next commanded, and was pleased to see the girl crawl to her. Again, she placed a kiss, much like she had on Barbara, but it was her turn to make a noise of surprise at the girl's freakishly long tongue slipping into her mouth. If she needed her own turn-on, she'd definitely gotten it there.i

"Now you big guy." Maddie said, getting behind Deke and nibbling on his neck while pressing her breasts into his back. Immediately, she felt his body stiffen and shiver, and glanced towards Barbara, who was currently sitting there trying to contain herself. "Aasha said you were amazing in bed and I believe her." She whispered into his ear, stroking his ego a bit. She was going to challenge him instead of just agreeing, but she didn't want to pressure anyone, because that never failed to wreck the moment.

All the while she'd taken these steps, she'd continued to push her pheromones, effectively stinking the room up with them. If both of the girls were straight, it would have been problematic as they wouldn't have reacted with arousal, but in this case, it was clear she'd done them all some good. Not enough though, she was still here to handle a job, so she pulled her panties down before taking her seat back on Deke's desk chair, pleased to see all three of them spare her a quick glance during their kissing and nibbling on each other.

With all this fuel, she wasn't even sure she was going to need her toys. Much like she'd expected, Aasha had laid across Deke's lap and taken him into her mouth, taking her sweet time about things. The girl had just looked like the type to enjoy sucking a dick, and Maddie was pleased to see she was right. He wasn't content to just sit against the wall and get head though. He reached around Babs and pulled her against his side to begin running a finger up her sex, which was as good a cue as any for Maddie to do the same.

"Damn you sound hot when you moan." Maddie said, listening to the redhead get into getting played with. Barbara turned her head and showed Maddie the tip of her tongue and leaned back into Deke, pushing her back and shoulders against him in a rather saucy fashion, giving her even more to touch herself to.

Aasha, after a few more minutes, came off of Deke, getting him satisfyingly hard. "Want to trade places?" she asked Barbara, who smiled and slid around his body, taking her turn at him. Ash then maneuvered herself around on the large bed until she could get her head in between Barbara's legs, and still expose her sex to Deke, who didn't have to be asked twice to let his fingers do the walking again.

At this angle, Maddie could better see what he'd been doing, and had to approve. Most guys would just dig in and try to strike oil, but this one didn't. Instead, he teased appropriately, but he didn't keep it up long, instead patting Babs on the shoulder to pause her, so he could get himself into a triangle.

"Oh that's working." Maddie murmured, her fingertips still just casually stroking her own sex while she continued pushing her pheromones. Just as she had a few minutes before, Barbara began moaning around Deke's shaft, while Aasha began whimpering quietly, her mouth far too busy to get much out beyond it.

This went on for a good while longer, Maddie not even getting too heavily into taking care of herself yet. She was getting a chance to watch people she found abundantly sexy, actually have sex, and she was going to enjoy every second of it. Eventually, Aasha backed off from Barbara, and shimmied her hips to get Deke to stop.

"Remember what I said earlier?" She said to him. Coming out from between her legs, Deke nodded and licked his lips.

"I can't use my powers because it could pollute the energies, I remember." He said, and went ahead and completely extricated himself from the two girls. Barbara came up and kissed him deep on his mouth, tasting Aasha's spicy dew on his mouth, while Aasha fiddled around in her bag beside the bed.

"What's that?" Deke asked, sparing another glance at Maddie, who was still slowly playing with herself. Aasha had her hands full of things and he wasn't sure what he was looking at with it all in a jumble in her grip.

"We have to try and finish at the same time, so, I've got toys for Babs and me." Aasha said, her face growing red. "This is kind of a race to the finish line and you have a habit of going hard on me, forgetting I'm not Babs. I've got to make sure I set her off the same time I go."

"So go for it then." Maddie said, reaching beside herself and picking her vibrator up, deciding that she brought it, she might as well use it. All this conversation was killing the effect of her pheromones too, so the boost to herself might help them all out.

"Demanding crowd, that one." Barbara said, and stroked Aasha's hair, kissing her. "This is your show babe, how do you want us?"

"Lay down right there, and put your feet towards Maddie." Aasha instructed, and maneuvered herself around to sit on Barbara's face. "Deke, if you wouldn't mind, I've got my new friend beside you. Take your time putting it in please, and then after that, take your time putting yourself in."

"Aasha's got a butt plug?" Maddie asked a bit breathily as she stroked her button with her vibrator. She had a perfect view of Babs' sex and she liked what she saw. Dewy with arousal and with Aasha's attention, her flower had started blooming. "That's new."

"Yes it is." Aasha said, laying herself down against Barbara's body and slowly licking her sex. Behind her, she could hear the bottle of lube open, and close a moment later, and shortly thereafter, felt the tip of the small appliance begin pushing into her bottom. "You don't have to go _that_ slow love, but thank you for being careful." She said to Deke, who'd barely put any pressure on it at all.

That might have had something to do with Barbara licking on his shaft while he worked. No, it had everything to do with it. She was giving him the most devilish look while she did it too. Encouraged by Aasha, he added more pressure to the plug, and began pushing it in gradually. "You're having fun with me not getting to use my powers, aren't you?" he asked finally, when he was about halfway through with his task.

"I might be." Barbara said, swirling her tongue around his glans before letting off of him to let him work. While she was on her back, she could see a bit more than her lovers' sexes, and noticed some kind of mandalas hanging from the ceiling that she didn't remember being there before. That must have been what Ash had meant about getting the room ready for this. "These pheromones are powerful Cowboy."

"Ooooooooh." Aasha cooed when she felt the small plug sink home. "Okay, slowly please love." She asked, and felt the tip of his shaft brush her petals. Just as she'd asked, he pressed into her gradually, with Barbara's tongue lightly flicking just around her button as he did. She spared a glance at Maddie, who'd developed a very focused look while she played with herself, still teasing her slit with her vibrator.

Aasha whimpered again as she felt him enter her to his full. She then reached for the small vibrator she'd brought of her own, and twisted the base, turning it to low. She didn't go straight into Barbara with it, instead taking her cues from what Maddie was doing, while she flickered her tongue across Barbara's button.

Beneath her, Babs was already feeling herself sailing on a sexual high. Between Maddie's pheromones and the attention she'd already received, as well as the turn on of having an audience who was playing with herself, Barbara could safely say she was feeling like a freak. Plus, this gave her an excellent view of her boy slowly driving into Aasha, where she could see the girl's dew already soaking his shaft.

To Maddie's eyes, things seemed absolutely wonderful, but she was looking for a better view, so she rolled the chair around towards the door so that she could see all of what was going on. What she saw was definitely working for her. Enough so that she felt like if Aasha was getting penetrated, she needed to be as well, and with her toy more than wet enough from her own natural lubrication, it slipped in with incredible ease.

Her moan from the initial insertion caught Deke's attention, though he acted like he hadn't noticed. Maddie still winked at him and began toying herself at the same pace he was going with Ash, nice and easy. She couldn't fault him for it either, with the two girls sixty-nineing each other, it was a lot for most men to have to contend with.

It was like this for many long minutes. Both Ash and Babs had to back off from one another by giving the other girl cues, and Deke had paused more than once too, each of them at different times. It was clear to Barbara, who knew her boy the best, that he was having trouble timing himself without the use of his powers. There was a tingle in the air, almost a static charge building too, as the three of them made their slow love, Maddie's playing along most likely helping too.

Deke had been moving so gradually he could barely tell he was doing anything at all, while he let the girls try and get themselves in balance. Maddie, over by the door and sliding her toy into herself, wasn't helping either as she kept giving him looks. After a minute though, he realized what she was doing. Since he couldn't just go to town, she was keeping him interested enough to stay nice and hard. With the muscle aches and pains in his entire body, it was necessary.

He too, felt the charge growing in the air. As a psychic skilled in psychometabolism, he was sensitive to the flow of energy moving through and around people, and while he wasn't actively using his powers, he couldn't just blind himself of them. It was this passive use of his abilities that let him know it was about time to get back to proper work, with Babs and Ash getting into rhythm with each other, the girls going from teasing to full on lashing with tongues.

Barbara felt the small vibrator press into her at the same moment Deke plunged back into Aasha. Instinctively, she cried out and arched her back, effectively shoving her face into Aasha's sex. That fire within her had lit bright at being penetrated and it spurred her to really dive into Aasha, lashing her button with her tongue.

"Oh it's getting to the good part now." Maddie encouraged, using her fingers to stimulate her own button, while she turned the speed up to full on her own toy and giving it to herself with intent. Of the people in the room, Babs had the absolute sexiest moans, and it had really gotten her going. The static in the air, turning into almost raw electricity, hadn't hurt matters either, the tingle tickling Maddie just right.

Aasha, acutely aware of the impending moment, submitted to it with bitten lip, letting the energy fill her as her orgasm struck. It was exactly that, that caused Deke to finish as well, his finish pumping into her in strong pulses, while Barbara's single scream filled the air in the bedroom as surely as the small squirt of fluid splashed the bed. That scream sent Maddie over the edge, her own whimpers mingling with the rest of the noises of pleasure in the room.

It was the final pulse of energy which set the tone of their activity, a flash, unseen but so very bright all the same, that washed over the lot of them. Contained within the room by the ritual that Aasha had performed, and the tools of magic hanging and sitting in the correct places, it became a reflection upon itself, magnifying in strength, and Ash let it fill her as she had been filled by her lovers.

"Oh wow." Maddie said, several moments later, finally breaking the silence. She'd gone orgasm blind for a minute there, and when she became coherent again, she saw Aasha laying on the bed, twitching. Babs was right there with her, being the big spoon and stroking her hair, the tenderness of it all warming her heart.

"Oh wow is right." Deke said, still kneeling there with a dumbstruck look on his face. He shook his head clear and sat himself down, rubbing Aasha's thigh gently while Barbara quietly reassured her. "That was, damn, that was something else."

"I thought I'd seen it all." Maddie said, setting her toy back on the desk so she could get dressed. "I was wrong. What _was_ that, really?" she asked, seeing Ash coming around.

Looking up at her, Aasha smiled softly, a look of intense satisfaction across her sweaty face. "That was love Maddie. And witchcraft, a good bit of that too." She made a face when she felt Deke gently removing the plug from her bottom, but shuddered happily as it came out.

Maddie was about to say something else, but Barbara beat her to it, coming up from the bed and wrapping her arms around her in a hug. A sweaty, fluid-y hug, tits to tits hug, but a hug all the same. "Thank you for helping us out Maddie. Just, keep this between us, okay? It's bad enough the Titans all know about the three of us, and I don't want to think about who else might."

"Babs, if I were you, I'd announce this shit to complete strangers. I've had some good sex but that was just awesome. All the same, I'll respect your request. After all, I got to kiss you, that was freakin' hot." Maddie replied, letting Babs go so she could get dressed. If she stayed naked too much longer, she was going to get touchy-feely. "One other thing though chick. If I got my own nipples pierced, would you think me a copy-cat?"

"No," Barbara said, shaking her head. "If you don't say anything if I get my hood done; that's sexy as Hell."

 _That_ got Deke's eyes open wide. Aasha's too. She'd specifically been trying to build the courage to get some piercings and tattoos done, and there Babs was planning to get her clitoris pierced? She covered it by pulling her panties and a shirt on. Another shirt floated towards Barbara, who didn't even bother with the panties, just pulling on one of her boy's tops.

"So Ash, did it work?" Deke asked, knowing full well the answer from what he could see of her body's natural energy flow. Where it looked like a dim infinity loop within her, it was now luminous, bright, and pulsing. He more asked to give himself time to compose himself after Babs' last very hot statement.

"Oh goodness yes." Aasha said, exhaling, feeling wobbly on her legs as she properly stood up. "That was _very_ effective. Babs, what about you? Feeling good?"

Barbara nodded and wiped more sweat from her brow. For basically just lying there and flicking her tongue, she'd worked up a sheen. "I did. Later on this evening, if _someone's_ feeling better, I might just have a nice relaxing go with him though."

"I could stick around for that too, if you want." Maddie offered, pulling her clothes on over her lingerie.

"You're pressing your luck Mads." Barbara said tartly, though it was clear her heart wasn't perfectly into it. She was still feeling grateful for helping them all get into the right place to help Ash. "You can stick around for dinner if you'd like though."


	26. Chapter 26

May 27th  
Greenup Kentucky  
1430 EST

"You've been quieter about things than I expected." Barbara said to Maddie once she'd swallowed her bite of roast chicken, peas, and sweet potatoes. "I'm beginning to believe I've been thinking about you all wrong, and I'm sorry if that's the case."

"No, you're probably right on track chick." Maddie said, making a face at her own sweet potatoes. If she'd known that's what Babs had planned on making, she would have politely declined their early dinner. "But since you're offering, I'll go ahead and satisfy my curiosity."

Deke looked at Barbara and gave her a sly smirk. She _had_ just opened Pandora's Box after all, and it was obvious that Maddie was considering where she wanted to begin, based purely off of her facial expressions.

"Okay, so I got the polite history from Mustang one night last month. One thing led to another, yadda yadda, but what I want to know is, were you crushing on Ash or something beforehand?" Maddie asked, cocking an eyebrow at Babs, who was sitting there trying to shake the feeling of being interrogated.

"You know, not until that night actually. I thought she was cute but," Barbara said, showing Ash the tip of her tongue." But when I started crushing, I _really_ started crushing. Redhead's curse I suppose."

"What she's failing to mention is that I let her feel me up an hour after getting to our apartment." Aasha said, sipping at her water. "Showing the work off and all as an excuse. I was the one that actually had the crush first." She added with a shrug of her small shoulders.

"See, I wasn't there for that." Deke said. "I was taking my sweet time getting food. I could feel the attraction between them before they even realized it, and Babs had already asked me if I was comfortable with her experimenting with a girl, so I figured I'd clear out and give them some space."

"Is that why you took so long?" Barbara asked, eying her boy. "You said there was a huge line at the pizza place."

"There was, I might have just let a few people cut ahead of me too." Deke drawled, still wearing that smirk. It was rare he pulled one over on Barbara, so he tended to relish it when he could. "This is one of those instances that are hard to explain to a non-psychic, but there was pressure in the air from the minute Ash and I got back to the place. I half expected to walk in on you both going at it when I got back home."

"Well okay then." Maddie said, her face still thoughtful. "Who gives better head?" she asked, looking directly at Deke.

"We don't discuss that." He replied. "Though if I'm being perfectly honest they're so different. There's no making me try and guess who's who, it's obvious. Mostly I'm just laying there too dumbstruck to think."

"Fair answer, I get that. So, one more for you then. When Ash was roofied at that party, which I'm still sorry about, she said psychics were fun. What's your opinion on what that meant? I've been genuinely curious about that one, y'know, trying to figure out exactly what she was getting at."

"I think I can answer that." Barbara said, putting her fork down. "He spoils us. The minute I decide I want to speed up, or slow down, or change positions, or whatever, he's already reacting to it. His psychometabolic powers also mean he has full control of his body too. Plus, sometimes he links us together. It's really intense so we save it for special occasions."

"Is that why you don't link with me?" Aasha asked, looking at Deke. "Is that something that's only for you and Babs? I don't mind of course, I'm just curious."

Deke shook his head. "Ash, honey, I don't try it with you because I'm kinda worried it might really hurt you. Like, no joke, for real, damage to your whole system. You know how Babs gets after one of us in rare form, right?" he asked, and when she nodded in blissful memory, he continued. "So imagine how you get after that, but then crank it up about five hundred times."

Aasha looked to Babs, who sat there with a faraway look, slowly nodding in agreement. "Yeah, it's _powerful_. I can't handle it more than once or twice a year, and I was entertaining the idea of asking him to link us when we chose to start trying to conceive. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to handle it."

"If it's all the same, I wouldn't mind judging that for myself one evening." Aasha said, brushing her fingertips across Barbara's hand. "If you're okay with it, that is."

"Suit yourself. I'm done being selfish." Barbara replied, and then looked at Maddie to properly elaborate. "For most of the time we've been doing this, I asked them not to play without me, since they were together so often in the Hacienda. I was feeling a little insecure, which I know is unbecoming, but that's what it was. I offered to keep my hands to myself too, but Deke was okay with letting me play without him."

"I noticed you and Ash seem closer." Maddie said, sharing her observation. "I suppose that's why. I gotta tell you though, when they're at the Hacienda or we're doing something, they're awfully cute though." She cracked a wide grin at Ash and Deke when she said it too, knowing how much Ash hated being called cute, and how not-manly that description had to be. As expected, their looks were a little less than sweet.

"I can imagine it." Barbara said, diplomatically avoiding mentioning the cute word. "Anyway, one day I decided that I'd been insecure long enough and got them to go to bed while I watched on a video call. I was satisfied by what I saw, and yes, I did mean that both ways." She said, showing the tip of her tongue.

"I don't think you're the only psychic in the room Mustang." Maddie said, looking at Deke. "She's good."

"You have no idea." Deke muttered around a mouthful of chicken. He swallowed his bite quickly and gave their guest his attention. "Anything else you want to know? You kinda earned it."

"Yeah, actually." Maddie began, trying to think how to word the question. "Like, do you all share the same bed and everything? Whole nine yards cohabitation and all that?"

"Yes we do." Aasha replied. "We play Monkey in the Middle so everyone has a turn being inconvenienced in the middle of the night in the event of having to go to the loo or something. It's been a small miracle that we so rarely have to be ready for work or anything at the exact same time. Maddie, if I can turn this around though, why are you so curious?"

Maddie paused for a minute at that, giving Ash a long look. "Honestly, when I first met you and Deke, I wanted you both, which I know comes as _such_ a shock. When I couldn't control him with pheromones, even just to show off that I could, I felt a little challenged. Then, I find out its Batgirl here that's got her hooks in him and I'm not so upset anymore, especially since I think she's way hotter than me. So, imagine my surprise when I find out that you're getting what I wanted. I'll admit, I was jealous as hell. I still am, but less so now that I got a chance to watch you three. And the other reason, and if you repeat this, I will have trust issues with you until the day one of us is dead, but I _genuinely_ like you all and I want to know you better."

"That's something you don't want to admit?" Barbara asked through blushing cheeks. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that." She wanted to make a comment on Maddie's opinion about who she felt was more attractive between the two of them, but the weight she'd added to her last sentence was enough that Barbara really only worried about clarification on it, not who seemed hotter.

"Oh, don't take it wrong chick, I'm not ashamed to admit I like you as people. It's just, Ash came with me to my family's summer house in Cali when I really needed someone. Deke showed up that same night to help me handle more of my business when I asked, and then took a mission that got his ass kicked just because I was having a good night. And then there's you. I flat out looked you dead in the face and asked if I could swallow your boyfriend's cock, and you not only forgave me, but you trusted me enough with your wedding. Babs, I can make a lover out of anyone I want, without my powers, but real friends are a lot harder to come by. It's been that way for a long, long time. I don't like admitting I have a hard time with it." Maddie said, her expression both more sincere and earnest than any of them had seen on her before.

"Ohana, Mads." Deke said simply, gathering the empty plates and taking them to the dishwasher manually. He was going to say more, but it felt like he didn't need to. Instead, he loaded the dishes and set them to wash, letting the girls talk more.

"Yeah, he's not wrong Maddie." Barbara said. "I've been doing the job for eight years now. Making friends can be a nightmare, especially when you have to lie to them. It's what makes us a fairly tightly knit community, even if the people you meet under the mask are still withholding who they are otherwise. That's why I was so quick to forgive you. If you remember, you gave me the lecture the day I met you all."

"Yeah, I did. I'll admit, I _was_ hoping you were just using him for sex so I could too, but the answers I got worked." Maddie explained, gearing herself up for the next statement she planned to make, it requiring more courage than she was worried she possessed.

"Look, you're right too Babs, it's a lonely gig, the superhero business. It's hard to trust, and I think, coming up sooner rather than later, I'm going to need the people I do trust. My mom isn't doing well. I'm sure Ash mentioned something about it, I never said to keep it secret or anything. I expect I'll be going to her funeral soon, and I wouldn't mind the team coming with me for support. While you're all there, you're going to meet someone. A little boy named Drew." Maddie said with a braced tone.

"Your little brother! He's _such_ a doll, I love him dearly." Aasha exclaimed, accidentally interrupting her teammate. When Maddie kept that uncomfortable look on her face though, Aasha shushed herself quickly and let the woman finish talking.

"He's not my little brother, he's my son. I had him when I was sixteen, and the family thought it was best if I pretended to be his sister. Outside of my actual relatives, you three are the only ones who know." Maddie finally said at length, and took on a surprised expression when Barbara placed her hand on her own and gave a gentle, reassuring squeeze. The kind expression in her ocean blue eyes was a far departure from the professional iciness she'd been so used to seeing, or the derpy-in-love that was her other expression around Mustang.

"I can't express how I feel that you put that much trust in me, but, thank you Mads." Barbara said, squeezing the woman's hand again. Her opinion had shifted considerably in the last hour or so, which was interesting because it was the longest she'd spent around Maddie in honest conversation.

Maddie sniffed and looked away. "What're you making me cry for Babs?" she said, trying to sound tough. The truth was though, just being able to talk about things was cathartic as could be, and something she didn't realize she'd needed as bad as she had. "It's just, you all trusted me with something that intimate, and I can't stress enough you picked the right person for that job, I couldn't not give back. Ignoring my attitude, I'm not that much of a bitch."

"Despite being one of the people allowed to call you bitch, I don't think I ever have." Deke said, finally speaking up. "And if I'm wrong about that, I'm certain I've never used it any reference except good. About Drew though, what are you going to tell Will?"

"I don't know. I don't even know that we'll be together when mom passes, or if I'm okay with him coming with me if we are. It's one of those wait and see things. I won't lie to him, especially after you read him the riot act about being honest to me." Maddie said, cocking an eyebrow at her teammate.

Deke shrugged. He wasn't going to apologize for caring about someone. "The riot act is strong words Mads. I just asked him to be honest is all. I'll definitely be there for you though." He added, digging into the freezer to acquire ice cream.

"I think I'm speaking for Babs as well as myself when I say, we'll be there too." Aasha said, noticing Babs still hadn't taken her hand off of Maddie's. A quick pang of jealousy crept up her spine, but she put it away, this wasn't the time or place to get territorial, especially for such an irrational response given the subject matter of their conversation.

"Thank you all. You have no idea how good it felt to get that off my chest, and I'm used to carrying _these_ things around all day." She said, gesturing towards her rather impressive bust. "Can we talk about sex more though? I'm sorta heavied out for the day I think."

"Certainly. Speaking of sex though, if you'll pardon me, I need to clean up." Aasha said, making a face at the decidedly un-sexy feeling between her legs. "I wasn't as thorough as I would have liked apparently."

"Awww, is someone leaking out of you Ash?" Maddie asked, receiving quite a face from Aasha in response, and a similarly horrified look from both Deke and Babs. Despite their living arrangements, apparently their discussions weren't quite as frank as Maddie liked to keep things.

"There's not much room in there, what do you expect?" Aasha said, trying to play it cool, despite the mess of things she needed to see to. Quickly, she scurried off into the bathroom next to the kitchen and shut the door behind her.

"Well she has a point." Maddie mused, looking at Barbara and Deke. "So you two, how'd that happen? I mean, he's a good looking guy, and don't let that go to your head, but you're absolutely gorgeous Babs, you could've had anyone you want. What made it him?"

"I liked him pretty early on." Barbara said, poking her boy in the side lightly. "He treated me the way I wanted to be treated, he wasn't sexually aggressive, and honestly, I liked how he touched me."

"Oh yeah, a lot of people don't even pay attention to that. I should've expected it from you though. What about you though Mustang? What got your switch flipped for her?" Maddie asked next, enjoying finally getting to ask these kinds of things.

"She's a force of nature Mads, I don't think I had a choice really." Deke said with a snicker. "It's why I gave her that ring. Being around people, I hear what they think, and so many people seem to believe there's some magic around the number of people you screw, but I never really understood that. What I did understand was what she was willing to be a part of, and I wanted that."

"Psychics are so weird." Maddie said, making a face at her teammate. "If I could do what you do, my God the things I'd try."

"Oh, he experiments," Barbara said wryly. "I thought Ash and I were going to kill him once when he decided to tangle us together so she could feel what she was doing to me, and vice versa." She punctuated the point by poking him in the arm, but she softened it by showing him the tip of her tongue. "Of course, he also let me feel what getting head feels like for a guy. That was a fun experience."

"Seriously? I gotta know, fess up." Maddie asked, prodding for more details. The embarrassed look on Deke's face told her all she needed to know about his mindset where this was concerned, and it only made her want to know more.

"Well, I have nothing to compare it to, but Ash is _very_ talented so far as I'm concerned. It was a whole other experience; I really have no words to be honest. All I know is; I get what the fuss is about." Barbara explained in a distant voice, trying to recall every detail.

"Okay, that's it. You." Maddie said, pointing at Deke. "Give me some chores around here. I have to know what it's like and I'll work to earn it."

"Maybe later Maddie." Barbara said, seeing the mortified expression on her boy's face, and fighting to keep that same look off of her own face. "Earlier was kind of a big deal experience and all."

"Yeah, you're right, but you better hope I don't have to pull your ass out of the fire or something." Maddie said, smirking. While she would certainly enjoy the experience, she was largely joking, not that she'd fully admit that. "Babs, were you serious about that hood piercing by the way?"

"About fifty percent serious, why?" Barbara asked, glad the conversation had moved away from esoteric sex acts with someone new. She'd sucked it up and tolerated Maddie nibbling on her boy's neck for Aasha's benefit, but that needed to become a new definition for iron will so far as she was concerned. "I think it's attractive, not sure if it's for me though."

"I was just telling Pacifica about this, but I had to pierce my own since there weren't any artists who were strong enough to break my skin. I dated one for about a year when I was sixteen and I learned a lot. I was going to offer to do it for you if you wanted." Maddie said offhandedly.

That gave Barbara pause, she hadn't expected to be called out on something she'd mostly said to get a rise out of Deke and Aasha. "I'll have to think about it. The costume gives enough allowance for comfort but I can't exactly go to Batman about getting the pelvic armor adjusted because I wanted sparkles on my clit."

"So what about your tits then? Surely you had to do something about those." Maddie pointed out, digging the knife in a little. Babs had enjoyed watching her squirm before, it was fun giving back.

"I was benched for a couple of days after getting my wisdom teeth out. They had time to heal some, and I wear a really good sports bra. I could actually get the chest armor taken in a little bit but I keep it just in case I don't have time to change, like during the earthquake. I had to fight Merlin with literally nothing on under the costume." Barbara said, shifting the conversation. She could tell Mads was having fun, and a little was acceptable, but she had a limit of how far she was willing to give up in fairness.

"Awesome costume then. I had Kris build cups into mine, but I like a little jiggle, it helps with the pheromones if I need to use them. They're crap for support if I don't wear a sports bra though." Maddie explained, giving Deke a glance. He was standing there quietly, listening to the two of them verbally spar a bit, and he had a distant expression on his face. Just to test him, she mentally pictured herself kissing Barbara again. As expected, he blinked and shook his head before giving her a look.


	27. Chapter 27 (Lemon of the Sea)

May 27th  
Gotham Coastline  
2000 EST

Liho stopped to look at the small hut he'd been provided. Unlike most of the Atlanteans, he'd chosen to remain on the surface, and so his temporary lodging had been a relatively plain Quonset style instead of the more comfortable coral-ite huts that the Atlanteans grew for temporary shelter beneath the water. Still, the hut was, for the time being, his, and he shared his small neighborhood with a few others who seemed to find living on the surface more interesting.

When he opened the door, expecting the dark and quiet, what he saw gave the big man a good, long pause. "I have been expecting you my love." Pacifica said, sitting on the side of his cot, and completely, unashamedly naked. In the candlelight (where had she found those, let alone gotten the idea to use them?), her deep bronze skin reflected beautifully, while her long blonde hair was tossed over her shoulder without a care in the world.

"Uh, howzit?" Liho asked, completely failing to sound cool at all. He stepped fully into the hut and pulled the door behind him, unable to take his eyes off of her long, lean body. Despite her willowy build, slim hips and small breasts, she was absolutely stunning, and owned the room completely.

"It is well, Elite Guardsman Liho Kamekona." Pacifica said, lightheartedly teasing him by giving his full job description. He wasn't so fond of being referred to as elite, despite having earned that particular moniker fairly, and several times over. "Perhaps not all is well, now that I think of it."

Feeling his heart racing, Liho fought to calm himself. "Okay, we fix that. What can I do for you?"

"I wish for you to release yourself from your clothing, and come to me, so that we may join as lovers do." Pacifica said, readjusting herself so that the tiny, fine, pearlescent scales that formed a triangle shape above her entrance could catch the light, and his eye. She felt jealous that surface women had soft, beautiful hair to adorn their womanhood, but at the same time, loved that small part of her underwater heritage.

Liho pulled his vest off, and set it on the small table beside the door, where it fell unceremoniously and completely forgotten, to the floor. "If you sure. I don't want you feelin' like you gotta do this to keep me or something."

"Your heart is kind, Liho." Pacifica said with a soft smile, gesturing for him beckoningly. "And such behavior only reinforces my decision to join with you. I am perfectly certain of my course."

Slipping out of his shorts, Liho crossed the floor of the small hut as naked as the woman on the folding cot she sat upon. "This ain't your room in the palace, or at my place. I kinda thought that's where this would happen." He admitted, still feeling a bit overwhelmed by the situation, and underwhelmed by the setting. Though he quickly banished her from his mind, it got him thinking of Babs, and how she would frequently describe herself as whelmed.

"I feel no attachment to a location Liho." Pacifica said, still beckoning him to her. "Where a thing takes places might have importance with some acts, but with this act, _who_ it takes place _with_ , is far worthier a thing to note."

Finally sitting down beside the beautiful woman who seemed hell-bent on bedding him, Liho cast another look into her large, expressive turquoise eyes. "You make me feel awful important." He said simply, placing his massive hand against her delicate cheek.

Pacifica put her hand on his, and nuzzled into his touch. "You are important Liho. I am not alone in loving you; though I prefer to think I am alone in choosing to express it this way."

Seemingly satisfied by her response, he leaned into her, and placed a kiss on her lips. For such a massive warrior, it would be reasonable to assume his approach would be something strong, and forceful, but that wasn't how Liho operated. Instead, he leaned into her carefully, letting her lips meet and begin to drag against his before he opened his mouth, letting her take control of the pace of things.

She made a satisfied noise and turned further into him, letting her fingers get caught up in his hair as she tried climbing into his lap to better feel a part of their love. "You are an easy man to love Liho." Pacifica said, breaking away to better situate herself comfortably on her lover.

"You easy to love too Pacifica." Liho replied, and let himself get pushed down onto the cot under her weight. "And you so beautiful too."

"You flatter me." Pacifica replied in a shy whisper, leaning down over him to kiss him further, loving the way his hands felt against her back, gliding over her skin. It made her feel as wanted as she hoped she'd made him feel, and she reveled in the sensation.

The two of them tangled themselves together for several minutes, content to touch and kiss and simply exist with one another in the quiet of the small hut. When Liho finally rested his hands on her small breasts, it gave the two of them a chance to pause and catch their breaths, as she laid there beneath him, not entirely sure how she'd gotten there. "I invited you to touch me Liho, and I am quite certain I meant everywhere that you would like to touch me."

Pacifica's breath caught in her throat as he leaned forward and took one of her small peaks into his mouth. While she'd never admit to anyone, she'd been ashamedly self-conscious of her body of late. Compared even to tiny Daeva, she had little in the way of breasts, or hips, which seemed to be traits possessed by the only woman Pacifica knew Liho had expressed desire with. That he showed no concern for the way she was shaped was a great comfort, especially at the way he seemed to enjoy the treasures her body had to offer.

Relaxing under him, and feeling far more secure with herself, Pacifica was able to more fully enjoy the feeling of his lips and tongue on her breasts, and the way his hands pulled her closer to him. She didn't miss the effect their time together had on his own body, his shaft beginning to twitch noticeably against her leg.

For Liho, probably the greatest difficulty came in not kissing her on the neck. Given she had gills, it would have been no different than licking someone's nose in the middle of foreplay, and he just couldn't believe that it would be altogether that stimulating. Instead, when he felt like she might be getting tired of having her nipples played with, he put a hand on her shoulder to keep her put, and worked his way lower, kissing across her long, lean torso.

Quietly, Pacifica cooed and toyed with his hair, trying to anticipate what he would do next. Their first meeting had contained no real foreplay, and given his state under the influence of the Themysciran aphrodisiacs, it was no surprise. Now on a more even keel, she was excited to see what he'd do next, and that first long, slow swipe of his tongue across her sex was a beautiful introduction to his plans.

Through panting breath, her voice occasionally rising into squeaking territory when he'd discover someplace particularly nice, Pacifica let herself get carried along on the tide of their lovemaking. The stress and pressure of her daily responsibilities melted away at every motion of his tongue, every press of his fingertips against her body. "This is beautiful." She said, hoping it didn't come out as babble.

"Gotta show you proper respect." Liho said, taking his mouth away so that his voice wasn't muffled in her sex. "Heart and body."

"You succeed." Pacifica moaned quietly as he went back to his work in lavishing attention on her. When he'd placed his hand on her stomach, she felt particularly pleased. What might have been a simple act of putting his hand there to get it out of the way was for her something profoundly wonderful. The warmth of his skin and the way his fingertips barely brushed her abdomen did wonderful things for her, bringing her desire stronger forward.

Almost out of nowhere, Liho could feel her legs begin quivering, so he stuck to exactly what he'd been doing, and just picked his pace up. Above him, and almost using her back to crawl up the walls, Pacifica whimpered quietly, her voice rising into a high pitched whine before her breath began to falter, adding a shake in her voice to match her body.

"Neptune's beard!" Pacifica said breathlessly, putting a hand on the top of his head to pause him in his work. She blinked several times and gently pressed against him, guiding him away. "That was unusual." She added a moment later, once he was sitting up and away from her. Absently, her hands went to her sex, still pulsing in tremor.

"What I do?" Liho asked, puzzled. "You look like you seen a ghost or something."

"Orgasm is extremely rare for me Liho. I can count on one hand the number of them I have experienced. Take this as good omen." Pacifica said, batting her eyes at him slowly, almost bashfully.

"I can dig that. Want to keep going or you need a break?" He asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes with his massive paw, his touch far more delicate than one would assume from hands that big.

"I would like time to calm my body, but I believe I can use that time to stir yours." Pacifica replied with a lusty smile and easy confidence. "I would like to illustrate my flexibility. I do not bluster."

"Oh." Liho said with a kid-in-a-candy-store grin. He maneuvered himself around on his cot to give her room to operate, not sure what exactly her aim was, but knowing full well just how much real estate he occupied. "Okay."

Pacifica brought herself down to her stomach and grabbed his leg to pull herself over his lap with an easy, graceful motion. Given her height, she had to bend her knees which left her feet dangling over her bottom, but something about the way that looked widened Liho's grin further, giving him an absolutely delighted look on his face.

Eyeing her prize, Pacifica took his massive rod in hand, stroking it slowly. Surreptitiously, she worked her bottom jaw side to side a few times, letting it unhinge freely, before opening her mouth wide to take him. As she slurped and bobbed on his tool, she silently thanked Poseidon for his blessings, feeling as though he was made to belong to her.

Similarly experiencing religion, Liho could only murmur and moan as she set about pleasing him, and it was definitely pleasing. Swinging a dick as big as his was both a blessing and a curse, the curse coming in that it was rare that a woman could really give head to her best potential with him. It wasn't a necessary activity as far as he was concerned, Liho was far too giving for that kind of attitude, but still, it was awfully nice.

The quiet noises she was getting from him encouraged Pacifica. With the conditioning of her life weighing on her, she'd been too ashamed to admit her experience in the art was limited. It was compounded by the fact that the two surface women she trusted most to ask for guidance were so close to Liho that the subject would have been too uncomfortable for them to discuss. That she was able to get him to react as he was, so primal and noisy, and his shaft twitching about of its own volition, was absolutely encouraging.

As she worked, she began stroking him with her hands, trying to add to the experience. Pacifica also used that as an opportunity to better explore her lover's body, wanting to become as intimately acquainted with it as possible. This exploration was paused though when she felt his hips hitch and his hand move to her shoulders, patting her lightly. "Slow down!" He almost barked in surprise. "Please." He added with a blushing grin.

"I understand I am not as experienced as I would like. Are you dissatisfied?" Pacifica asked, casually putting her jaw back into place so she could speak. Apparently, given the surprised expression on his face, that was something he was unaware she could do.

"Uh, er, wow. No, sorry. I was actually really satisfied. I didn't wanna pop off just yet and you had me goin' pretty good." Liho explained, stroking her hair softly. For a man built for hard combat and hard play, he was remarkably gentle.

Pacifica's eyes brightened at his statement, bringing a pleased expression to her face. "My concerns were unfounded?" She asked, slipping around him to sit on his lap, his shaft resting against her stomach for the time being.

"Oh yeah." Liho said with a nod. "That was awesome. You uh, you wanna keep going?" He asked, and got his answer when she placed her hands on his shoulders and turned her body, pulling him back down over her onto the bed.

"I want this Liho." Pacifica said, and reached between their bodies. She took hold of his rod and guided him to her entrance. She held it there a minute before trailing his tip against her lips and pulling him into her. She moaned loudly when he began entering her. She was flexible, certainly, and more than capable of accommodating him, but that pressure as he entered her was still beautifully intense and fulfilling, making her eyes water from the sensation.

Liho began working into her slowly, trying to set a nice steady pace. He didn't want to be a two-pump chump with her, and she'd nearly gotten him off already, so when he slipped into her and felt just how exquisite her sex was, it was all he could do to keep himself under control. If nothing else, Liho decided he'd been ruined on surface women for sure. Her body was primed, and the inviting warmth and slipperiness of her sex was so much _more_ than he'd ever had before.

"You look as pleased as I feel, my love." Pacifica said at his blissful expression. She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled at him with love drunk eyes, getting into the rhythm he was setting for them. He nodded and returned her smile, and kept at her, nice and easy.

Still, that nice easy pace was set for love, and it was clear they were involved within it. Pacifica's breathing quickened in short order as she began making small, panting whines. With nothing better to do, she wrapped her legs around the small of his back and held onto him, while simultaneously grasping his triceps with her hands.

Sweat began beading at Liho's brow, as much from the heat in the room as the Herculean effort he was putting into not finishing too quickly. Those little panting moans of hers, and the way her chin quivered as she made those moans, were absolutely driving him wild. She wasn't done surprising him though, and making his job harder. When her little moans grew longer, and louder, her sex began rippling, almost milking his shaft. Given how amazing her body already felt to him, this was near sexual torture.

"Oh Jesus." Liho muttered, his eyes shut tight and his mind going to his old high school football playbook, surfboards, food, Kris' model airplane collection, cartoons, and anything else that came to mind that wasn't what was happening in that moment. Nothing he could think of could fully shut out his experience though, and when her moans again turned to whines, he knew he was done for.

Almost explosively, he finished within her, firing off several shots in succession, the sensation shoving her fully off the brink as well. Pacifica whined once loudly, sounding almost ready to cry, before latching tightly to him and riding through it. His finish had done it, the pulsing sensation within her body giving her what she'd been seeking. "Do not withdraw please." She asked, almost pleading, her legs still wrapped about him tight.

"Okay." Liho said, gulping in breath. "Woah, you glowing." He said as well, once he could open his eyes. One of her sets of tattoos had lit up, causing her body to shine turquoise in the dim candlelight of his room. The tribal patterns that decorated her body gave her an ethereal quality that worked beautifully with her post-orgasm reactions.

"I seem to be, yes." Pacifica said with a small giggle, absently squeezing his midsection with her legs, as though trying to pull more from him. "I am glad I was not capable of thought. That may have proven disastrous." She added with an embarrassed grimace.

"I bet." Liho said, finally coming out of her when she released her grip with her legs. He just laid down beside her on the folding cot and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling into the nape of her neck. "Happy now?"

"I am very happy Liho. May we speak?" she asked, hating to give up the neck nuzzling he was giving her, but wanting to look at him.

"Yeah, sure." Liho said agreeably. "What you wanna talk about?"

"In traditional courtship, this would be considered consummation of our union. If you are unprepared for that, I will not invoke my right to it." Pacifica said, stroking his cheek and punctuating her words with tiny kisses. "But, it is irresponsible of me not to mention either."

"You really want me like that?" Liho asked, just looking into her eyes. "I ain't nobody special."

"You are. You are special to me, and you are special to so many. How could I not want you?" Pacifica said gently. "My heart yearns for you. We lay so close together that you must certainly feel it."

"You right about that." Liho said, feeling her heartbeat against his chest, pounding like his own. He wiped the sweat from his eyes and brow, and laid there with her quietly before he spoke up again. "How come though? What make me special to you? I don't get it."

"Your actions, which speak so loud when compared to your actual words. It is the way you smile, and touch, and laugh. The men of Atlantis wanted things from me Liho, be it a name or a position within my house. You wanted nothing from me but my time and respect, and showed such gratitude and appreciation for it." Pacifica said, punctuating her words with tiny kisses to his forehead. "Even now, you hold me as though I am dear to you."

"That cause you are." Liho remarked in a perfectly sweet tone. "Pacifica, most people don't see me. They look at the big and hear me talk and just kinda assume. And yeah, I know there plenty smarter people and I don't mind, but when all your life you only special cause how big you are, it's hard to feel special for anything else."

"Then they were fools and I am all the more fortunate, my love." Pacifica replied kindly, finally getting her breathing back into a good semblance of order. "Poseidon has brought us together, and I am eternally grateful for that."

"Me too." Liho said, pulling her even tighter to him. It was fortunate her body was able to handle the pressures of the deep because as tight as he was squeezing her, things would have gone much different. Realizing how much muscle he was putting into it though, he relaxed after a moment, and got a curious look on his face. "I gotta ask you though, where'd you get the candles from?"

Pacifica managed to free one of her arms so she could brush an errant strand of hair out of her face, and smiled at him. "I told Mera of my decision to end my abstinence, and asked her advice on how to improve the mood for lovemaking with a surfacer. She suggested candlelight, so I swam out to the cargo ships waiting to unload goods, and began asking. I feel it pertinent to add that many surface sailors have only one method of payment in mind, but one vessel from the United Kingdom was kind enough to give me a few. I believe I have grown quite fond of it."

"Firelight make you look even more beautiful than before, and I didn't think it was possible. I'm glad you got the idea." Liho said, the post-sex relax coming over him wonderfully. He pulled Pacifica with him as he laid down, giving her an excellent spot beside him in which to curl up and relax as well.

"You flatter me without thought, but question when I do the same." Pacifica said with a yawn. "We must address this sooner than later, but not now. We have gone to the sand, and it is growing late."

One ancient rune lit up teal on the back of her left hand, which she waved in a dismissive gesture, causing all of the candles to douse. "My love, is that your stomach making that noise?"


	28. Chapter 28

May 27th  
Greenup Kentucky  
2235 EST

Deke was sitting on the couch, absently obliterating a bag of pork rinds and watching cartoons. Aasha was asleep next to him, and Barbara wasn't much longer for the waking world either on the other side of him. As she'd hoped, he'd been perfectly happy to give her a go, and they'd taken their good sweet time about things, which had suited Aasha just fine because her artist's eye was working overtime. She'd taken a few pictures of them and had actually passed out doing some mid-sexytime drawings based on those photos. If the early sketches were any indication, the final product proved to be both hot, and beautiful. Of course, it meant Barbara could never show them to her dad, but the GCPD's general lack of interest in art meant she wasn't likely to be ratted out either.

When his phone buzzed, he beckoned it to his hand and saw there was a text from Liho. Barbara leaned up, adorably feigning being nosy, but when he made no move to conceal it, she let herself become legitimately nosy. "What's Liho got to say?" she asked, wondering. She knew he was with the Atlanteans in Gotham, where she needed to be too, and would have been if Bruce hadn't actually respectfully asked her and the rest of the Birds to take the full day to rest and heal, and let him handle the light work.

"Dunno." Deke replied, and opened the message. "Hey bro, got big news. I'm supposed to tell you face to face. Are you gonna be in Gotham tomorrow?" he said, reading the message aloud, subconsciously mimicking Liho's accent.

"What?" He asked, when Barbara started giggling at him. "What'd I do?"

"Nothing baby. What do you think it is?" She asked, her detective's mind already starting into speculation and theory.

"Hell, I dunno." Deke mused, sitting his phone down and leaning back into the couch. "His spelling says he was excited as hell. You think he managed to help Batman out more?"

"I would have heard something. The Birds haven't been listening as dutifully as I've been, one of them would have told me if he'd taken anyone else high profile down." Barbara replied, reaching beside her and handing Deke one of the throw blankets, and gesturing towards Aasha.

Deke took the offered blanket and tossed it into the air, using his powers to spread it out and cover their girlfriend up within it carefully. She was resting properly for the first time in weeks, not just passing out from exhaustion, he'd be damned if that was getting interrupted. "Speaking of high profile, has that tracking algorithm pinged on my clone?"

"Cowboy, if it had, you'd know. I'm not even supposed to tell you that either. Batman's words were, and I quote, 'Superman, Captain Marvel, or Wonder Woman can handle Mustang's clone. He's too involved.'" Barbara said, similarly mimicking Batman's gruff tone, though she was fully conscious of the fact, and was doing it to try and distract her boy.

"He's not wrong. I want another shot at him. I got stupid the first time, let him outthink me." Deke groused. "I tried to just fight him, instead of setting him up, feeling him out, and letting him give up information in the process."

Barbara smiled at him, and put a hand on his. "Baby, if I wanted to marry Dick, I would have gone on more than one date with him. It _is_ nice to see you thinking things through though."

Deke grimaced sheepishly, having been called out on what could best be described as being Bat-lite. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's true though, I got him out over water and stopped thinking. I can do better, and I need to."

"Cowboy, you did just fine. As far as we know, he thinks you're dead. Last thing he said to you involved wanting Superman. Right now, you have him where you want him, whether you like it or not. He's gone to ground, and he's not bothering anyone." Barbara said, taking a stronger tone, effectively putting a lead on him. He'd _definitely_ named himself appropriately.

"This is how you felt after Hush, huh?" Deke asked, standing up and offering his beloved a hand. She took it and rose to her own feet, and followed him through the kitchen and out the back door.

"It really is. Frustrated and stymied. Why did we come outside?" She asked, walking with him down the stone paver walkway into the backyard.

"It's a pretty night." Deke said, stepping behind her and putting his chest to her back before wrapping his arms around her, right below her breasts. "I just wanted to share it with you."

"Oh, _that_ I can handle." She said, leaning her head back into his shoulder, enjoying the kiss on her temple she'd all but set up running lights in signal for. "Is that all though?"

"No, that's not all. Are we going to tell Ash tomorrow about what we'd talked about the other day?" He asked, still just holding onto her under the stars of his home, feeling right with the world.

"Yeah, thanks for waiting until I could be there too. I want to see her face when we tell her we want her to live with us." Barbara said, enjoying a sequel to the kiss she got on her temple. "It makes so much good sense, I don't know why we didn't discuss it sooner."

"It's kinda a big deal, we're inviting her to live with us babe, on the permanent. I _knew_ she wasn't going to try to keep dating in earnest, she was sabotaging everything she was aiming at, but she needed to admit it to herself first." Deke said thoughtfully.

"I agree with you. Right now though, I'm not even sure what Gotham's going to look like by the time we get married. Bruce is doing everything he can, and Oliver is helping, but so is Lex, and where they go, Kord is going to follow, and a dozen other companies. Did you ever read any of those Gibson or Dick novels I suggested?" Barbara said, reluctantly extricating herself from his embrace to lead him to the old swing in the corner of the yard.

"Yeah, dystopian cyberpunk. Kris actually hounded me to read them harder than you did. You driving at the corp city vibe in the books?" Deke asked, sitting on the two person swing with her.

Barbara nodded, staring up at the stars and enjoying the cool evening breeze that carried the scent of night flowers and honeysuckle. When she'd smelled them the first time, it reminded her of what he'd once said to her, right after their first kiss, and ever since then, the scent on the wind brought an involuntary blush to her face. It would have been nicer if they weren't on this particular topic of conversation. "That's exactly what I'm driving at. LuthorCorp in Gotham was something Bruce fought hard against. His father too, actually, when Lionel Luthor was at the helm, before Lex took over."

"LuthorCorp had a building in the city already." Deke said, not entirely certain what she was driving at. He very well understood how bad of news Lex Luthor was, but she was heading to a point he wasn't seeing.

"Yeah, there was one building, just one, and it wasn't even that big. It was satellite offices for the Metropolis branch. Lex Luthor is dangerous, and on a whole other level than the Joker, or Poison Ivy. It's going to drive Bruce too hard, and he's only barely tolerating the Birds. I'm worried the city's going to get a shiny new façade and be even worse under the shell, with not enough people to do anything lasting." Barbara said, genuinely worried about her home.

"Babe, you need to run for office, the way you love that city." Deke said, trying to help her work through her concern for Gotham.

"I can't." Barbara replied, showing her boy the tip of her tongue. "Not corrupt enough. Politics requires what Bruce called the 'acceptable level of corruption' in order to function. I'm just too honest a girl for it."

"You're too honest a girl huh?" Deke asked, turning to put his back against the armrest of the swing so he could better look at her. "Okay, too honest a girl, answer me a question. Is this thing we've got keeping you happy and satisfied?"

"Cowboy, you know for a fact it's keeping me satisfied. If you went back in time and told fifteen year old me that I'd be engaged and discussing with my fiancée our decision to lett our shared girlfriend move in with us, I'd call you a liar and probably punch you for even suggesting it." Barbara said with a giggle. She turned, matching her boy's movement, and put her feet into his lap, using the motion to give her time to formulate the rest of her response.

"Am I happy? Baby, I really am. I've got two lovers who fulfill my very specific needs outside the bedroom. You've been the perfect man for me, and I've never tried to make you that way. Ash is exactly what I'd want from a girlfriend too. I'm gonna flip this on you though and ask why you wanted to know." She added, tickling his abs with her toes.

He snickered and shied away the best he could, before taking her feet in his hands to absently rub, which immediately elicited a happy coo from her. "Just checking babe. I can't fix Gotham, or any of the problems that came with it. If you weren't happy here, that's something I could act on. If I can't hero around for a spell, I can at least boyfriend around with some measure of skill."

"I can get behind that." Barbara replied, relaxing at his touch. "So, while I was gone, did you and Ash get to bond? I noticed she was cuddlier with you when I got back from my Gotham trip."

That caught Deke off guard. He hadn't actually noticed much difference. "She's a cuddlebug at the Hacienda. As much as I had to play the tough guy when Maddie spilled it, she wasn't lying. I guess at the apartment, the furniture didn't really play well for it. It was kinda nice getting a few days though, especially with us too wiped to do anything. Down in Florida, she's got to be a different Ash around people, and the dynamic is different when we're all together, so seeing the real woman was good. The DC trip was fun too, I'm glad Liho mentioned he was gonna be there."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear. She didn't take you getting beat that well, this time, or with Darkseid either. I'd always assumed she'd told you but I'm starting to think maybe she didn't." Barbara said after a moment's reflection.

"No, she never did. You gotta tell me though." Deke said, pausing his rubbing of her feet, an act of extortion that she certainly wasn't a fan of. When she gestured to continue, he did, and in exchange, she fulfilled his request.

"Cassie had to drag me off of the Rescue Jumpers, you knew that. What I don't think you know is, when I was sedated to get my arm reset, Ash actually threatened an orderly about Liho's size when he didn't want to let her into your room." Barbara said, and grinned at the surprised reaction on her boy's face.

"This is no joke babe, that orderly was pushing Liho sized, and he wouldn't let her into your room. She floats three feet into the air and said, and this is according to Zatanna since I was still doped out, 'If you don't let me in there, I will pull the air from your lungs and refill them with a fire hot enough to properly reflect how much I don't want to put up with your shit.'" Barbara continued, once again breaking out her Aasha impression, her voice rising in register and annoyance appropriate to the illustration.

"No, you're pullin' my leg. She didn't." Deke argued. He could believe she'd use her big girl voice if she needed to, as he'd seen it, but a threat of that level of violence seemed well beyond her.

"She did. Like I said, this is Zee who told me, but Black Canary wound up backing her off the orderly and she confirmed it. That orderly wound up clocking out for the night after that too; and apparently used his personal time to avoid her, since nobody ever saw him at the same time she was around again. When you woke up ornery, she almost tripped over those scrubs she was wearing when she tried to come and get me too." Barbara said, trying to suppress a giggle at the memory. In retrospect it was good comedy, but the situation hadn't been.

"Where were you anyway? I didn't care because you got to my room so quick, but now that we're talking about it, I'm curious." Deke asked, hoping he hadn't asked already and forgotten the answer.

"I was visiting Oliver, two rooms down. I wanted to let him know I wasn't the biggest fan of him telling the doctors that I was the person to consult if you didn't wake up. Ash came running in, skidded across the floor and nearly tripped over one of her pant legs when it had come unrolled. She wound up having to catch herself midair. If I hadn't already been sleeping with her for a couple of years, I would've started crushing then and there, she looked so adorable floating in the middle of the room, her hair everywhere and such a surprised look on her face." Barbara replied.

"Thanks for remembering it." Deke said, catching the thought on Barbara's mind. She was absolutely right too, the way she was floating on her stomach with her hair halfway in her face and hanging to the floor, arms and legs splayed out, and looking like a cat that had gotten caught was heartwarmingly adorable. "Yeah, I never knew she took it like that."

Barbara nodded. "That's kind of why I was so insecure about letting you two have alone time. I don't know how we look to other people, but I could see you both with my own eyes and it was so damn cute."

"Well, now you know there's nothing to worry about babe." Deke said gently, still a bit overwhelmed after hearing the story and feeling a whole lot better about himself.

"I knew it then. It's like you'd said, what you really wanted from her, you were getting before sex entered the equation, but people are allowed mistakes, even me." Barbara said sassily, showing him the tip of her tongue.

"Speaking of mistakes, and Aasha. If we let her sleep on the couch all night while we actually go to bed, she's going to, what'd you say? Pull the air from our lungs and refill them with fire?" Deke said, the hour wearing on him after the day's, ahem, exercises.

"Yeah, that. Let's go to bed Cowboy, apparently we're going to Gotham tomorrow morning. I want to get dad a treat too, so we're going to have to hit the Big Belly Burger in Metropolis before we board the ferry, or were you going to fly us?" Barbara asked, spinning back around on the swing and coming to her feet lightly.

"Nah, we'll go the old fashioned way. We can hitch a ride with one of the Atlantean work trucks; you said they've been really cool about giving people lifts." Deke said, already thinking about Big Belly Burger. The chain hadn't gotten around to Kentucky yet, so he had no way to satisfy his cravings for it since he'd had to be home.


	29. Chapter 29

May 28th  
Gotham City  
1000 EST

"The cleanup work is impressive." Aasha said, walking down the empty Gotham street. Up and down what used to be the main drag of Old Gotham, dozens of empty lots sat, filled with huts of different varieties. Some were the coral-ite huts that the Atlanteans could grow in a matter of a couple of hours, many more were prefabricated shelters donated by several corporations, cities, and even a few smaller nations. What wasn't easy to see were giant piles of rubble.

"Kris handled a lot of that the day of the quake." Deke said as they walked towards the Atlantean camp, though he paused to stifle a Big Belly Burger burp. "I saw several buildings dissolve instead of collapse while I was doing the job. You weren't kidding when you said over a quarter of the buildings in the city were abandoned."

"Legitimate statistic." Barbara replied, waving to one of the many police cruisers currently tooling around the city. "I just can't believe Dad was able to back the Deputy Mayor and the Governor down from declaring martial law over all of this."

"I can, your Dad's got a will strong enough to warrant a Lantern ring." Deke said, though the face Barbara made when he suggested it said she wasn't keen on the idea of seeing her dad in a green energy detective's trenchcoat. "What was school like?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Not bad at all really. One of the generators was beneath the building across the street from our apartment building, but school was far enough out to avoid the worst of it." Barbara said optimistically. "Aside of some cracks in the drywall, and the huge tent city in the courtyard, you'd never know. Those generators were small, but there were a lot of them."

"I bet that's got Batman climbing the walls." Aasha said, not knowing how right she was. When Barbara gave her a knowing look, she got a better handle on just how much. "Pretty bad huh?"

"Yeah, pretty bad. The one in Star city was huge, about the size of a small car. These were closer in size to the Reach's magnetic field disruptors. Much less output, but so many more. Batman's still sifting data and evidence on how they got into the city without him noticing." Barbara said sourly. Her city was hurting, but the injuries were already beginning to scab over.

"Myrrh oil?" Deke offered, having no other input on the situation. This wasn't at all his wheelhouse.

"I mentioned it, but it's easier to get lost in the shuffle here than say, a box truck or a prison cell." Barbara said, the trio passing the steel skeleton of Roland Dagget's forgotten building, where she and her boy first met up with The Question two years ago. "Not much farther now."

"Good, this walking is killing me." Deke complained, rubbing his thighs with the heels of his hands. "I thought you said the Atlantean trucks were good for giving people lifts."

"They usually are, but people are starting to get over the shock and supplies aren't coming in as regularly as anyone needs. STAR Labs offered use of their Zeta network, but the power demands are too high for what's up in the city's grid. One problem at a time I suppose." Barbara said, before tapping her boy on the shoulder. "There's the camp."

Indeed it was. Several Quonset huts were set up, with a large pavilion style tent nearby. Outside, several very obvious Atlanteans were milling about, most dressed in what looked like basic coveralls, though more than a couple were decked out in some kind of light armor, and had a staff style weapon casually cradled in the crook of their arms. It was one of these who noticed the trio, and approached them hastily.

"This is an Atlantean safe zone, surfacer camps are nearby. I can direct you if necessary." He said brusquely, though he made no motion to brandish his weapon.

"We're here to speak to Duchess Pacifica, and Guardsman Koa." Aasha said, having no time for the security's attitude. "We'll wait here while you fetch them."

The looks her tone drew from her lovers were both comical, and impressed. "Someone's feeling herself today." Barbara commented, her tone clear she felt proud of her girl, something Deke could both confirm and agree with.

"I miss Liho hugs." Aasha said simply as the guard dashed off quickly. "It's a shame we were in our _other_ outfits when we were accepted as his salt family."

"Right?" Deke said, his expression brightening when he could sense the very familiar mental process and presence of his very best friend on the planet. When the big man emerged from the large tent, and immediately dashed towards them at a dead sprint, all three of them grinned widely.

"You made it! Howzit?" He called out, crossing the distance and immediately wrapping Barbara and Ash in one armed hugs, one in each, and squeezing them at about one tenth of his strength.

"Ugh! We're good Liho!" Barbara said, thinking one of her ribs might have begun bending. "Bit much there."

"Goodness yes it was." Aasha said, though she hadn't let go, even after he'd backed it off more. She gave it another beat, and let herself get set down, feeling much more satisfied at having a proper Liho hug.

"Hey bruddah!" Liho said to his salt brother. Deke nodded with a grin and rolled his shirt sleeve up, offering a bro hug. When they clasped hands first, the pair paused to flex, which brought groans from both Barbara and Aasha, the former facepalming while the latter shook her head.

"Predator? Seriously guys?" Barbara said. "Good Lord the two of you. Liho, you said you had some good news." She added, trying to brush some of the testosterone away.

"Yeah sistah, I got real good news." He said with a broad, happy smile. He turned and waved at Pacifica, who waved back and approached them. "But she got something to do first."

"I do have something of great importance to do first. Deacon, Liho, can you excuse us please?" Pacifica asked sweetly. Deke shrugged, and let Liho lead him over to the mess tent. It was clear Liho knew exactly what was going on.

"Forgive me for asking the men away, but I have a piece of business I must discuss with the two of you." Pacifica said once the men were within the mess tent, ostensibly already cutting up as the two of them did.

"Of course, what's up?" Barbara asked, following Pacifica towards Liho's hut, where a few folding chairs had been set up by the front door. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all." Pacifica answered, taking a seat and gesturing for Barbara and Aasha to do the same. Once they both did so, she continued. "You are both sisters to Liho, by his own admission, and in Aasha's case, the law of Atlantis. I am correct in this?"

When both girls nodded in agreement, Pacifica continued. "It is the tradition of Atlantis that I ask your permission to wed your brother. In times past, this was to ensure that the groom's family would not be overburdened by having his time occupied by a wife. Now, it is tradition to ensure that the bride is accepted and welcomed. Do I have your permission to accept him as a husband?" Pacifica asked, looking smaller and more endearing than either other woman had ever seen her before, almost like a schoolgirl.

"You certainly have my permission Pacifica." Barbara said, and glanced over to Aasha, who was sitting there with a look of barely contained joy on her face.

"I knew this was coming eventually. I took a course in Atlantean art and culture in school." Aasha said, sniffling and wiping at her eye. "Sorry, this kind of thing gets me emotional. I grant my permission, but only if you don't keep him from us."

"We are Movers Aasha. I could no more keep him than anyone else." Pacifica said, patting the small woman on the knee while she fought to contain her happy tears. "In accordance with tradition, I give my word that I will not keep him from his sisters. Do you have any conditions which I must meet?" she asked of Barbara, turning to look her in the face more fully.

"I think Aasha nailed it. Will the ceremony be held underwater?" Barbara asked, getting all manner of inquisitive, as Barbara's do.

"Ceremony? There is no ceremony to speak of. I have no brothers for Liho to petition, so once we part, he and I will inform the King, and it is done. There will be a small ceremony among the peerage to recognize Liho as a Duke of Atlantis and House Atua, but the only peerage available currently is King Orin, as Queen Mera has returned to be with the Prince before she returns with sorcerers to raise the additional island." Pacifica explained patiently. She imagined as more of her people spent time among the surfacers, their concept of marriage would change, but for now it was a simple affair.

"Duke? Liho's becoming a Duke?" Barbara asked, blinking at her surprise. She should have expected something of the sort, but she'd been so occupied lately that it had never crossed her mind.

"Yes, he will be known as Duke Liho Atua among Atlanteans. His salt siblings will be henceforth respected as Lords and Ladies among the court, for what little that is actually worth given King Orin's streamlining of the nobility. I believe Liho said 'that, and a dollar, will get them a bottle of pop.' Which I confess I do not understand." Pacifica explained.

"It's okay, it means exactly that I suppose." Barbara said, reaching into her pocket and handing Aasha a tissue. "I'm very happy for you Pacifica."

"We both are." Aasha said, daubing at her eyes with the tissue. "Will you be living in Atlantis now full time?"

"No, and that is something that Liho had wanted to tell you, but he did not ask I keep it secret. House Atua has a population of thirty four people, counting Liho. We will be the first Atlantean house to live on the surface. Queen Mera has dispatched the necessary bureaucrats to Oahu in order to secure a lease on the land surrounding Liho's home there. He has already insisted on helping to build. In addition, Atlantis is opening an embassy in Honolulu." Pacifica said with pride.

"Oh that's wonderful news. Are you going to try for children straightaway?" Aasha asked, finally getting herself back in check. She knew Deke and Babs' opinion on the matter, but she wasn't sure about Liho and Pacifica, given the suddenness.

"I will not be fertile again until autumn of next year. We will try unsuccessfully of course, until then." Pacifica said with a devilish smirk. "When the time draws nearer, we will discuss it more fully, but I imagine it will be some time further before we seriously consider a family."

Once again, Aasha was shaking her head. As far as she was concerned, they were two peas in a pod already. "Well then, I can't argue that. I'm going to hate myself for asking this, but I'm guessing you two?" she said, hemming and hawing around her question.

"We went to the sand last night, yes. It was _much_ more enjoyable than expected but I imagine you are not interested in details, so I will spare them. Suffice to say, your salt brother is a kind and caring man who captured my heart fully." Pacifica said dreamily, her answer seeming perfectly suitable to both women, especially Barbara, who was beaming at her statement. She'd had no doubt at all that Liho would eventually captivate someone just by being himself.

"That's romantic." She said. "I love it."

Aasha nodded and stood up, tucking the tissue in her back pocket. She might need that later. "Shall we let them go get married then? I imagine if we leave Deke and Liho alone any longer, that mess tent is going to turn into a frat house."

"Ash, you are so not wrong." Barbara said, coming to her feet. When Pacifica rose, Barbara hugged the woman, careful not to get a face full of boob when she did it. The girl was taller than Wonder Woman, and that was saying something as Diana could look Deke straight in the eye standing up. "Congratulations Pacifica."

"Thank you sisters. Let us gather our men. You are all welcome to attend the presentation to King Orin if you would like." Pacifica said, trying to give them at least a little something. "I look forward to the grand ceremony you and Deke will share."

"Oh I dunno about grand. There'll be plenty of people, and we'll make it fun, but grand isn't my thing." Barbara said, feeling Aasha grasp her hand. "I think we're more interested in the reception than the ceremony."

"It's the party afterwards." Aasha explained to the curious Pacifica. "People dance, eat, drink, all manner of festivity, and then the couple wander off and go to the sand. I really like that euphemism now that I said it."

"It's pretty cool, yeah. Up there with ditching knickers." Barbara said, squeezing Aasha's hand as they walked.

"Liho further explained he promised the use of his, er, our home for your marraige vacation. I will absolutely not interfere with him honoring that offer." Pacifica said, remembering their discussion the night before. "I recall you seemed quite enamored of the place when we first met."

Barbara nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not going to drive you two out of your house either. We'll think of something, don't worry. Honestly, we might not even be able to afford a honeymoon given the state of Gotham right now." Barbara said, hastily adding to her statement. "Though Atlantis has been a remarkable help."

"You are kind. I am pleased to be a part of this, as I am sure you are as well. It is shameful that your real name will not be known for your works here." Pacifica replied. "There is no fighting or singing from within the mess tent. I will take this as a good sign." 

* * *

"So, you were first, and here you thought it was gonna be me." Deke said a few hours later. He was sitting with Liho on a low seawall not that far from the Atlantean surface camp, having a truly rare commodity in post-quake Gotham, a cold beer. "How's it feel?"

"Brah, not different at all. Like, same today as yesterday, except she call me Husband sometimes now." Liho said, taking another swig of his beer. "But it different too, hard to say, y'know?"

"No, I get it; I feel it coming off you." Deke replied. "You feeling Ducal yet?"

"Oh yeah, that I do. Everybody treating me different. I kinda don't like it either. I wanna tell people quit saluting and everything, but they ain't gonna listen. Pacifica say the House treat me like a person though, which is good." Liho said, the rare frown crossing his face for a minute.

"Well it's something. You gotta kiss ass now or anything?" Deke asked, getting genuinely curious.

"No, I'm a warrior, and I'm Liho. As long as I act like Liho, ain't nobody gonna worry about me not being frilly. I get to keep the job with the Queen too, which is awesome. I really like that gig." Liho explained with some small relief. "Now I gotta ask you stuff brah. How you really feelin'?"

It was Deke's turn to frown. "Sore still. I'm getting better but not fast enough. Babs says my clone went to ground and hasn't shown back up yet, but I know he hurt me worse than I hurt him. He'll be up and running sooner'n later, and I wanna be better when he does."

"You woulda kicked his ass if you weren't still getting over being bitchslapped by Darkseid bro." Liho said, pulling another bottle from the cooler and popping it open. He wished it were a Longboard, but the Metropolis craft brew stuff wasn't bad.

"See, that's what I said!" Deke exclaimed. "You don't have to remind me it was a legit bitchslap though. I'd rather be here anyway. Home's nice and all, and it's good having Ash around and everything, but it's the disaster relief stuff I started out doing. I know this shit inside and out."

"You and me both. That's why I'm glad Mera say I can stick around and do this. What's Cap'n Atom sayin' about you comin' back?" Liho asked. Having his bro around to help with the work would make things a whole lot faster, safer, and a hell of a lot more fun.

"He messaged me this morning. I've got two more days before he's comfortable letting me saddle up again, and I think that was mostly Babs or Bats telling him I'm coming a hair of doing it anyway." Deke said with a shrug. "Speaking of, Babs is at the cave right now, which means Ash is hanging out with Pacifica, and if I know her, she's hungry."

"Pacifica feed her if she say somethin'." Liho said, and remembered Aasha was British and therefore feared being a bother more than any other force or entity on Earth or elsewhere. "We better go."


	30. Chapter 30

May 30th  
Destin Florida  
1300 CST

Maddie rolled over in bed and exhaled, a long, slow, deep breath that spoke volumes to just how satisfied she felt. "You sir," she said to Will, who was rolling along with her onto his side with a similarly satiated look on his own face. "You are consistent, and I very much appreciate that."

"Consistent sounds a lot like boring Mads." Will said, wrapping an arm around her. "And boring sounds a lot like something I don't want to be."

Maddie grabbed her phone, which had been chirping notifications for missed texts since about halfway through foreplay, and shushed it, before rolling back over to face her lover. "No," she said with a shake of her messy hair. "You're not boring. Boring requires a crappy attitude, and believe me, I really like the attitude you bring."

"Well, okay, I'll take that." Will said, brushing her heavily highlighted hair away from her baby blues. "You're popular today, you want me to let you take those?"

"Sure, go have your victory smoke, just remember to brush your teeth afterwards." Maddie said, and began flipping through her messages. "Oh that's adorable!" she said a few seconds later, pausing Will in mid-pantsing.

"What is?" He asked, going ahead and pulling his slacks back up all the way.

"Ash just texted me, they invited her to live with them permanently. She said I was the first person she texted." Maddie said with an actual blush on her face. "And I was feeling good before I picked up my phone."

"Sounds like a win." Will said, pulling his shirt back on, before pulling the collar away to see the lipstick stains covering it. It was destined for the dry cleaners in short order. He was going to say more, and then noted the frown crossing his lover's face.

"You okay?" He asked, sitting back down on the bed. She'd gone from chipper and blushing to stormy in record pace, and it left him concerned for what she'd seen on her phone. Maddie had her moments of getting moody, but from what he'd seen of her so far, such a sudden shift wasn't her usual style.

"Yeah, I'm good." She said, setting her phone back down on the nightstand. She sat up and clutched the sheet to her breasts, and looked at the man in her bed for a moment before speaking. "Will, what are we doing?"

"Getting dressed?" He answered with another question, his eyebrow arched in confusion.

"No, I mean us. What are _we_ doing?" She asked again as she drew her legs up to her chest. "What exactly are we?"

That gave Will pause. He remembered well and good the Come-To-Jesus he'd gotten from Mustang. "I don't know Mads. I was letting you decide." He answered honestly. "I just got out of prison less than two months ago, so I didn't want to jinx anything. I've been enjoying the human contact."

"Half-human." Maddie muttered. "Sorry, anyway, that's cool and all but you're coming up on the end of my patience for a fling, but I like having you around. Do you see the dilemma?"

"Yeah, I'm following you. If you like having me around, and I like being around, then what? Do we label this, do you need that? I don't mind either way." Will said, pulling his sandals back on. "I'm guessing there's a text there that's causing this."

"Yeah, there is." Maddie nodded. "And if you're willing to stick around, cool. Just, you need to understand a few things about me first."

"Okay, go for it." Will said, making an inviting gesture towards her. "I'm all ears."

Maddie shook her head and tossed the bedsheet off. "No, this isn't a quick thing, I'll come outside with you." She said, and began the process of dressing herself.

The duo strolled outside a few minutes later. Will dug a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one, stepping around to stay downwind of Maddie out of courtesy. "So, here's us, outside. My ears are open."

"Cool." Maddie replied, and leaned against the wall, the rest of her statement coming out in fits and awkward starts. "Will, I'm kind of a whore. Or was. Actually, quite literally for a while, according to the state of Nevada. But I don't want to be. I've cheated on lovers more times than I can count, but I don't want to right now. So, fuck labels, that's fine, they're overrated. There's going to come a time where it might be necessary, but that's not today. I just, Will, I fucked around with people's feelings and I shouldn't have, and I don't want to anymore. I'm going to try, and if I can't, I'm going to own up to it. That's why I'm cool with ignoring labels, it makes things a lot neater, and I have to start somewhere."

Will took another drag off his smoke and exhaled a cloud. "We all have a past Mads. Mine's a matter of public record too, since you mention it. I messed with people's feelings to take things from them, we've both pulled some shit we maybe shouldn't have. So cool, let's just keep sleeping together, and maybe occasionally we'll go out places, and I won't accept phone numbers or offer mine, and you can do the same?"

"That's a good start. I can handle that." Maddie said. "And yes, there was a text that spawned this, damn that redhead all to hell."

"What'd Ingrid say?" Will asked in a confused tone.

"No, the other redhead. Beegee, she messaged me, and she was so cool about it I can't actually be mad at her. Liho and Pacifica got hitched kind of outta nowhere. She said 'I wanted to make sure you heard the news without someone beating around the bush.' Which is _exactly_ how I need to hear this kind of stuff." Maddie said with a frown.

"Noted for future reference. Speaking of her though, I'd avoided asking, but how'd things go with them the other day?" Will asked, flicking an ash he hadn't noticed had been building.

"It was awesome. Like, seriously, if you repeat this I'll kill you twice, but it was so sweet seeing them together. Even when they were doing an oral triangle, which you'd think is pure getting each other off, they were loving each other too." Maddie said a bit dreamily.

"So, you had fun I take it?" Will asked with a smirk on his face, pointedly avoiding asking if she got involved, since it apparently didn't matter before just a few minutes ago.

"Oh God yes. Aasha getting down on a cock impressed _me_ and Batgirl is so fucking hot when she cums, the voice on her." Maddie replied, catching herself getting flustered just remembering it, and then catching what she was saying. "So, obviously, you never ever repeat that as long as you live."

"Oh, I don't think you've got to worry. The whole shindig worked for Daeva though, right?" Will asked, genuinely curious. As per their conversation in DC, magic and all things related were perfectly foreign to him, but he did have a bit of curiosity about it all. He'd seen enough weird shit, and stolen some of it too, to know magic existed.

"She said it did, and she acted a lot more chipper afterwards, though I would too if I'd been in her position." Maddie explained, trying to shake the fluster. She'd been nursing a crush on Barbara for years and seeing her get laid, and kissing her, had only made things worse, especially since she couldn't claim it to anyone at all.

"Well that's good. I felt bad I couldn't do anything for her, and it was obvious she was woah!" Will said, forgetting he'd set his phone to vibrate, until it reminded him while still in his pocket. He grabbed it and all color fled his face. "Superboy's going apeshit in Gotham, with that Mustang clone." He said, showing the alert message.

Already on the move, Maddie fished her own phone out and double checked the alert message. It was an image of the two clones, the one Deke had called Sawyer, and floating next to him was Superboy, except he didn't look right. Barechested, and with a heavy scar of the Superman S on his chest. "We gotta move, they're gonna need us."

May 28th  
Gotham City  
1225 EST

"Go for it buddy, tear some ass, Superman's bound to show up." Sawyer said, wondering how long it was going to take for Cadmus to notice Match was missing. "Hopefully I scrubbed all your programming." He added quietly, not entirely certain if he'd gotten it all or not.

The radio comm in his ear was going nuts, with blares of static followed by someone repeating strings of words. "Sorry, whoever you are, but you can't program a psychic, not with those science experiments." He said in reply. The words should have shut him down, putting him into a deep sleep, and by the urgency in the speaker's voice, they certainly didn't seem to care he was three hundred feet in the air when they said it. So rude.

Beneath him, Match was having a grand time, plowing through what buildings were standing, terrorizing the homeless population, laser vision-ing telephone and electric poles to use as bats until he ruined them. It honestly looked like a boatload of fun. Of course, if they were having fun, someone was going to spoil it. "Don't bother, I can hear you planning." Sawyer said, turning to look up at the building behind him.

Perched ready, Batgirl, Huntress, Artemis, and Flamebird were ready to descend, to do what Sawyer had no idea, but the determination pouring off of them was plain to sense. Artemis let an arrow fly anyway, though Sawyer simply batted it away telekinetically. "Now what were you hoping to accomplish there?" he asked, watching the arrow detonate harmlessly.

"Oh, you know, all kinds of things." Artemis replied, firing another few arrows off, joined by a few crossbow bolts from Huntress.

Arrogantly, Sawyer raised a hand and let them strike his kinetic shield. With a shrug, he watched the smoke clouds emanate from the arrowheads, and just let them blow away in the crosswind between two buildings that wouldn't be standing much longer.

"Wait, weren't there four of you a second ago?" He asked, once the smoke had cleared, showing him only the two women using arrows. "Oh, play on the arrogance, not bad. Dunno what you're gonna do now though, it's not like you've got enough club to stop me."

It was then that he realized just exactly how much club they were swinging. An absolutely massive pressure wave slammed into him from above, driving him into the cracked and devastated street below. Looking up, he saw his donor floating there, hands outstretched and touching at the wrists, while that pressure wave continued bearing down on him. [You're a dick.] he said, pushing the thought back, though it seemed like the original had no interest in talking.

Having had enough of that nonsense, Sawyer created his own telekinetic force behind Mustang, and just let it explode, hoping to get his attacker off of him long enough to mount a proper counterattack. As he'd hoped, through blurry vision from the intense pressure being exerted on him, he saw his donor sail off quite suddenly, before the pressure wave ceased.

His body not wanting to respond right, Sawyer stood up slowly, and turned to check on Match. "Where the hell did you all come from?" he muttered, seeing his clone-buddy tangling with some big-titted blonde, a giant Samoan, some kind of power armor, and those two chicks plus the little hot one from the other week.

Two chicks? "Shit." Sawyer muttered, when the explosions from the arrows that had just hit the ground by his feet triggered off. Glad he'd fortified himself in time, Sawyer pulled himself up, ready to unleash hell. He swiped his arms in grand, wide gestures, the kinetic pressure blasting massive chunks off the building where the two girls were. When nothing seemed to come of it, he pushed out with his senses, looking for the things he'd been trained to look for when facing archers.

"Gotcha blondie." Sawyer said quietly, preparing to generate a pressure cloud nasty enough to knock Match back a few. When he heard the loud explosion, he stopped though. He hadn't even gotten it cooked up yet.

Six blocks straight south, Deke broke the sound barrier, popping the clutch on his generated energy, and let himself fly on a ballistic course towards his clone. Behind him, in the vacuum of air he created, what remained of windows shattered and trailed along.

"Oh fuck me." Sawyer said, and threw up another barrier. It wasn't enough. When he got hit, he knew it, the impact of the strike sending him sailing and skidding down the road into a roll. Laying there a minute, he took stock of his situation. Match would eventually take down all the backup, and he still had one trick up his sleeve to make that happen.

Coming to his feet, slowly and with his body not wanting to behave correctly, Sawyer shoved out hard telepathically, generating a massive amount of psychic static. The immediate screams greeted his ears, like they were cheering him on, and small victory, Mustang turned to catch the little bit as she fell from the air, instead of pressing his attack like he should have.

"That the best you got?" Deke muttered, not particularly feeling as cocky as he hoped he sounded. Blocking the sheer amount of static Sawyer was pushing was taking everything he had. It had certainly grounded him, and brought his defenses down with him. Behind him, the pained screams of his loves and his team infuriated him, and defenseless or not, that was _not_ going to happen.

"Nah." Sawyer called out, hoping Match wouldn't hold a grudge after this. "What, you gonna actually scrap me?" he added, seeing his donor stalk towards him somewhere between a trot and a run.

"Nope." Deke replied, reaching behind his coat. With a quick flick of his wrist, he let the batarang he'd borrowed from Batgirl snap open, before sending it sailing down the street, smacking his clone dead in the face. "I'm gonna cheat like she taught me." Deke said, telekinetically grabbing Sawyer now that his static field was interrupted, and pulling him close.

Behind him, as Deke had worried, Match was up first. Grabbing Sawyer physically, he turned to face the other clone, and just telekinetically lobbed him as hard as he could into the air, hoping to buy Maddie and Liho more time.


	31. Chapter 31

May 28th  
Gotham City  
1228 EST

Batgirl rattled the cobwebs loose in her head, and wiped at her nose. As she'd expected, blood came with it. With no time to consider more than that, she scooted towards Maddie, who was still in the process of getting herself in order as well. "Lady G!" She shouted, her ears ringing, and expecting Maddie's to be as well. "Get up!"

"Trying Red." Maddie said, coming up to her feet unsteadily. With another fierce shake of her head, she looked through blurry vision, and caught site of the not-Superboy, swooping out of the sky on a collision course with the gathered Movers. An acidic burned crawled up her throat when she realized how close he was to hitting her, and how little she could do about it, when a massive turquoise tentacle snared the offending clone in the sky, and immediately started constricting him.

"I do not know how much time I have bought you!" Pacifica all but screamed, coming up out of the canal that ran parallel to the street, her body glowing a bright blue to match her magics. Her hands were clenched as though she was crushing something invisible, the tentacles from the energy octopus squeezing to mimic her.

"Oh this is bad." Aasha mumbled, similarly dizzy and disoriented. She spared a glance down the street where Deke and Sawyer seemed to be wrestling, though with the sheer amount of destruction just _happening_ around them, it was clear they were more than just physically tangling with one another.

"Fractal, are you awake?" She heard her lover ask, and turned to look that direction. Batgirl was slapping Fractal lightly in the face, trying to stir him.

"Yes, stop hitting me." He said, waving a hand at her. Barbara didn't waste time, pulling a schematic up on her computer gauntlet and transmitting it to Kris', technical details filling the air around his arm in rapid order. "We need this?"

"Yes." Barbara said. "Make one and keep him occupied, I'll put it on him." Her words were pure ice as she spoke, Barbara becoming subsumed within the Batgirl.

"My God, where did you get this?" Kris said, grabbing at the face mask of his costume and peeling it off, requiring the advanced nanites his suit was made up of in order to match the level of engineering necessary.

"Don't ask." Barbara said, as she watched the power nullifying collar begin to take shape. There was no way on this Earth or any other where she'd admit she'd hacked the Batcomputer to pull the specs Bruce kept in the event they had to keep Superman without his powers. There were things she wished _she_ didn't know, and this was one of them. The (rightful) speculation this would draw wasn't something she wanted to discuss.

"I cannot hold him!" Pacifica called out, Match's pure ferocity proving stronger than her will and spirit combined.

"I got this!" Maddie called out and took three running steps before launching herself into the air, arm drawn back and aimed directly at the second Superboy clone. The instant Pacifica's magic failed, Godiva was connecting, driving every ounce of her prodigious strength into his face in a hard downward cross.

The impact was hellishly hard, but not for Match. It did stun him a moment, but not long enough to press the attack. He grabbed for Godiva by the throat, and flew straight downward, slamming her into the pavement, before beginning to quite simply pummel her at superspeed. With nothing in his mind but fury and hatred, it was nothing to channel that, and only that, into harming what had harmed him.

Of course, when he got a very sudden taste of his own medicine, in a _much_ more concentrated dose, Match had to stop. As he tried to knock away whatever was pummeling him hard, and so very fast, Godiva was able to get away while he was distracted, but it was evident by the look on her face that she wasn't in peak fighting shape. Bruised and battered, possibly worse than Black Adam's work to her, she staggered off and managed to slump against a wall, barely under control.

"Scramble!" Daeva called out in excitement. He _had_ come back to help, right when they'd needed it. He definitely had a flair for the dramatic and heroic entrance.

"No time to celebrate! Daeva, blot out the sun!" Fractal called out, an idea forming in his mind. Batgirl couldn't safely get close enough to collar the Superclone, and that had to change in a hurry. Fortunately, this was where Fractal earned his keep.

"I will assist!" Pacifica called out, seeing dark thunderheads already rolling in from the coast. With a wide sweep of her arms, the water in the canal lifted and blew apart into mist before rising into the sky to join the clouds forming. Ancient runes lit up in sequence across her body, allowing her to exert her will on the natural world, joining her teammate in controlling their environment in rapid order.

Not idle, Fractal backed off from the fray and grabbed a streetlight, tasking his swarm to multiply and take over that light and the next several up and down the street, as well as anything else with a lightbulb. When Koa finally rose to his feet to join Scramble in occupying Match, there was a quick wave of elation that spurred Fractal to continue his work.

Those streetlights, as well as a few overhanging buildings lights, some neon, and a billboard's illumination, all twisted and warped, turning to aim at Not-Superboy. "I need to power this, Pacifica, can you do it?"

"I can." She said, feeling confident she'd aided Daeva in effectively turning day to night with the thick clouds. Her runic tattoos faded and were replaced by that of an eel wrapping around her body. This, in turn, signaled the appearance of a turquoise energy eel, swimming out of nowhere to wrap around one of the lampposts. "Say when!"

Nodding, Fractal tasked his swarm to wire themselves into that post, and once complete, he raised a hand. "Lady G, please forgive me." He said quietly, not at all a fan of what he was about to do to her in collateral. "Now Pacifica!"

The mystical energy eel began outpouring electricity. Soaked up by the impromptu wiring and feeding the entire setup, all of those bulbs began outputting bright red light. Red light at a wavelength to match red solar radiation.

"Oh yuck." Maddie said, still slumped. She rolled to her side and vomited, glad she'd turned away from the team, as it appeared to be more blood than breakfast. To Match, however, the effect was far more dramatic. He howled in rage and pain, before dropping to his knees, feeling weaker than he ever had in his life.

The rapid pummeling and occasional hard shot stopped, and then, he went from feeling weaker, to feeling nothing at all, when the thing around his neck clicked and whined in activation. Looking at the first person he saw, the giant with the markings, he could only express fear.

"No time to celebrate, we've got to make sure Sawyer can't knock this off of him." Batgirl said, turning to observe the battle her boy and his own clone were having in the streets of Gotham. A block away, the damage was clear. They'd toppled more than one abandoned building through the bleed-off of their telekinetic power. The street was more than ruined, and still, the two of them were tangled up, trading knee shots and occasionally slamming one another into the walls of whatever was handy.

Batgirl reached for a batarang while Artemis lined a shot up next to her, but she raised her hand to pause her archer friend, and nodded. Around a corner, in a fiery red and orange hoodie, Flamebird had just peeked her head out. With a careful, measuring eye, the Birds of Prey watched their teammate glide up up, haul off, and clock Sawyer in the back of the head with her baton.

"Five dee six sneak attack." Batgirl muttered quietly, her face split with a wicked grin. She watched as the now limp Sawyer got picked up by her boy, punched a few times for good measure, and then what in the world was he doing?

Mustang lifted his clone once more, and held him there telekinetically, before putting a hand to his chest. "This is why you can take me in a cheap shot, but that's it." He said to his barely conscious clone. "You should've brought more friends."

"Wha? What doin' to me?" Sawyer mumbled, feeling absolutely awful. He felt immediately nauseous, jittery, and absolutely worthless.

"Tying your powers to your endocrine system. From now on, you so much as try to lift a pencil, you're going into hypoglycemic shock. You really should have mastered your metabolics, otherwise I'd've never been able to pull this off." Mustang said, trying to keep his face calm, despite the fury he felt. "Congratulations Sawyer, you've just been neutered."

"Fuh, fuckin' kill me." Sawyer asked, barely able to form words. "I'm dead anyw…" he added, before passing out, going limp in Deke's hands.

Down the road, Daeva looked at Fractal. "Where's Fujin and Maiden anyway? We could have used them for this."

"Doing us a favor." Fractal said with a knowing smirk. "Oh look, up in the sky." He said, glancing up and seeing shapes descending. The rest of the team spared a glance, and saw Superman, Captain Atom, two of the Green Lanterns (the black one and the new one), Wonder Woman, and the Batwing descending, while the Flash dashed up beneath them.

"Who is that with Superman?" Pacifica asked, having finally climbed out of the canal. Behind Big Blue, another flying form revealed himself. Smaller, but still very imposing, he wore the same suit as Superman himself, sans the cape.

"Superboy?" Batgirl said, recognizing her friend. "I like the look."

"Thanks." Superboy said, descending first, and right at the edge of the light thrown by the red bulbs. His tone was calmer, much more relaxed, and he seemed at peace for the first time in his life. "Wanna kill those bulbs so we can collect these two?"

"Yeah, sorry." Fractal said, mentally telling his swarm to return everything to the way they found it, but maintaining the repairs he'd had them perform, before becoming permanently a part of the whole.

"Oh much better." Maddie said, still shielding her mess with her body. "Daeva, can we have the sunshine back please?" she asked weakly.

"Sorry, certainly." Daeva replied sheepishly, banishing her work by sending the storm out well into the Atlantic, to dissipate safely. Still elevated, she could see what Godiva was trying to hide, and hoped the sunlight on its own would do some good.

"We're going to talk about where you got the schematics for that particular collar." Batman said, stepping behind Batgirl in proper Batman fashion and giving the girl a spook from the suddenness of it. "But I'm glad you did."

May 28th  
The Watchtower  
1900 Zulu

"Fujin and Shield Maiden were able to complete their mission." Kris said to Captain Atom and Batman. "With the trace program Batgirl established on Sawyer's flight turbulence, they were able to retrace the steps of the two clones to a clandestine lab in the mountains of West Virginia. By the time they arrived, the entire area had been sterilized. It was an empty building, but it was very clearly Cadmus design."

Batman nodded, his eyes narrowing into slits as he thought. "I'm heading down there later with Robin. I want you to come with me, and I've already asked Fujin and Shield Maiden to remain on-site."

"Of course." Fractal said. "How are my people?" he asked without missing a beat. Maddie had taken one hell of a beating, and the psychic static had worked a worse number on Liho than he'd expected it would. Mustang had also taken his licks as well, and Daeva had some unpleasant burns from Match's heatvision.

"Being seen to in the infirmary. I'll find you there when it's time to go." Batman said, and swished off, heading towards his lab. It left Kris standing there with Captain Atom, who turned away from the screen and looked at his protégé.

"Fractal, before we head that way, I want to talk to you for a minute." Captain Atom said, putting his hand on Kris' shoulder.

May 28th  
Gotham City  
1455 EST

"Are you going to talk to me, or just stand there thinking I can't see you?" Artemis asked, staring at Scramble, who thought he was doing a good job of not being seen looking at her from around a corner.

In a blink, he was in front of her, a piece of paper in hand and offering it to her. She accepted it, and read the note aloud. "Sorry, deaf, but I can read lips." She said, and exhaled in her frustration.

"I know you're Wally, why won't you just admit it?" She asked, wiping at her cheek with the back of her hand. "You can't hide your handwriting."

Scramble bopped himself in the forehead with the heel of his palm, and the moment he did it, he realized what he'd done. "Yeah, hello Megan is right." Artemis said, and took his hand, clasping it tightly in the hopes he wouldn't leave again. "Why?"

Scramble wrote another note and handed it to her. His handwriting, what gave him away at first, was shaky, and nowhere near his usual level of penmanship. "Artemis, I'm a monster. I didn't want you to look at me. I wish I could have said, or done, something but what happened to me was awful. I can't hear, I can't talk, I can't actually see you the same way I used to."

Artemis dropped the note and just reached out, grabbing the sides of his head and pulling him towards her. "I don't care. I never cared what you looked like Wally. Please just let me see you."

With a shrug, Scramble grabbed at his mask, unrolling it from beneath his morphsuit. He stopped, and signed something to her, making her lament not learning ASL when she had the opportunity.

Artemis watched the mask pull away. Immediately, she could see heavy scarring on his skin, like he'd been through a fire. As the mask cleared his head, now bald and covered in that same horrible damage, she steeled herself. When it came away from his face, and the clicking noise followed, she wasn't sure what was going on, until his hands completely moved away.

Part of the mask had included a prosthetic lower jaw, because he lacked one. Half of his upper teeth were missing, and his green eyes were the color of milky jade. He also lacked ears, instead just two misshapen lumps on the sides of his ruined head.

"Oh my God." Artemis said without thinking, her hand coming to her mouth in shock. When he moved to put the mask back on, her other hand shot out and came to rest on his shoulder. "Wally, you're not a monster. I said that because of what you had to have gone through."

Wally shook his head, the stub of his tongue lolling about due to the motion. He bent down and picked up the last note he'd written her, scribbled something on it, and was gone with a burst of wind. Artemis stood there for several more minutes, silent tears trickling down her cheeks, before she bothered to even look at the note he'd written her.

' _Artemis, what I went through, I went through for you. One day, I hope to be able to look at you again, touch you, hold you. But I can't, not like this. If you remember the old tricks we used to get ahold of each other, I'll answer them, but until I can do something, if there's something that even can be done, please don't unless it's an emergency. It's been a living nightmare for me too. I love you. Wallace West.'_


	32. Chapter 32

July 4th  
Greenup Kentucky  
0730 EST

Barbara stood in front of him, a tingle in her skin at the sight of her boy. He was in front of her, in nothing but compression shorts, with a soft expression on his face. She brushed an errant strand of his hair out of his eyes and smiled softly, before she began handling the task she'd assigned herself nearly three years ago.

First came the undersuit. Black, with some dark purple piping at his insistence, she pulled the exceptionally pliable material open wide at the neck hole, and held it low, allowing him to step into it. It took some finagling, but once he'd gotten his legs and arms in, she was able to smooth it out over his body, where it hugged his musculature in ways that, as his fiancée, she absolutely loved.

Next, the jeans, and these were simple things, meant only for the image. All the same, she treated them with the same reverence as the rest of the getup, carefully fastening them and cinching his belt at his waist. "I'm not used to putting these _on_ you, you know." She said, batting her beautiful oceanic eyes at him.

"You're doing fine babe. I dunno why you insisted on doing this anyway." Deke replied, bending his head down so she could put the tee-shirt on him, similarly plain and only there for image. When she reached for his long rider coat, he turned around and put his arms behind him, to make her life easier.

"Because I want to, I've been waiting for this for years." Barbara replied sassily. "Now hold still mister too much taller than me." She instructed as she pulled the new coat on over his shoulders and letting it fall so gravity could straighten it out. Made of some kind of material that Fractal had been working on, it was tough enough to stop small arms and normal environmental damage, light enough not to get in the way, and just as insulating as the material his previous coat was made from. Somehow he'd figured out how to do all that, plus build in a frightening number of pockets, and it still smelled like good quality leather.

"Are you sure about ditching the hat?" She asked, picking his tech glasses up off of the coffee table, and slipping them onto his face.

"Yeah, I like the wind in my hair." He said, leaned down, and placed a long deep kiss on his beloved.

"Keep kissing me like that and you're going to be late." Barbara replied with a saucy wink. "And we've still got Aasha to get taken care of."

"Oh yay, my turn!" Aasha squeaked from the end of the sofa. She bounced up to her feet, dressed only in athletic undergarments, and stepped onto the wooden coffee table. "I'm ready now!"

Barbara shook her head, and opened up a brown paper shopping bag. She withdrew a long bolero jacket in black, bearing purple and silver embroidery in some manner of ancient and arcane language. "Zatanna promised John Constantine had nothing to do with this, and she sends it with her warmest regards, as well as an open invitation."

"Maybe one day. Not today though." Aasha replied, and mimicked the same half turn and rear extension of her arms, allowing Barbara and Deke to slip the jacket over her small body. When she turned, Barbara pulled it closed around her middle, and blinked as the magic woven into the fabric triggered off.

It left Aasha in that same jacket, but beneath it was an ankle length black and violet gauzy dress, and black combat boots. Somehow, her hair and makeup had also gotten done, her lips stained as black as her eyeliner, and her extremely long hair done up in a basketweave style of braids. "How do I look?" she asked vampishly.

"C'mon, we can't be late for this." Barbara muttered, feeling more than a little flustered. "Both of you, oh my God, both of you."

"I think she thinks we're sexy love." Aasha said, stepping off the coffee table and floating to the floor. When Barbara nodded, her expression that of focus and determination, it was clear Aasha was right.

"Yup, I'm a fan of it." Deke said, and put his hand on his girl's shoulders. "You want us to get you decked out?" he asked her as he grabbed his brush to do something with his hair.

"No thanks, I can't handle you two getting me naked right now." Barbara said, showing him the tip of her tongue. While she might have been putting it on a little, the truth was, she was wholly and completely impressed by her lovers, and that she had a hand in getting them this far, especially her boy, was doing wonderful (and more importantly, healthy) things for her self-esteem.

"Suit yourself." Deke said, and looked at both of the women, his mouth slightly open and with an expectant expression on his face. He got bopped with a throw pillow for his trouble.

July 4th  
Washington DC  
0900 EST

"This has been a long time in coming." Superman said into the microphone, making a face at the static feedback. Would technology ever advance enough to avoid this? "Today, the Justice League extends invitations to people who have, over the past three years, worked hard for the people of Earth, without any of the media coverage people come to expect from superheroics."

"We founded a team who originally existed to help people in disaster scenarios. In that time, they have done that across the globe, and also stepped up to help when other threats have grown too big to be handled. We used to call them the Movers, but now, we call them equals among the Justice League. Fractal, Daeva, Mustang, Godiva, Koa, Shield Maiden, Pacifica, and Fujin, please join us."

As the Movers made their way up the steps to the Hall of Justice, Superman continued. "In addition, there was someone else who I wanted to invite some time ago, who chose to wait to develop their skills. Superboy, please join us as well."

Behind the Movers, Conner stepped up, trying to smile at the crowd and not sure exactly what to do with himself. [You're doing fine.] he heard in his head, the sweet and loving voice of Miss Martian reassuring him in ways Superman never could.

Behind them, in the crowd, dozens of members of the media were filming, shooting pictures, asking for comments, anything they could get. When the League inducted new members, it was always a huge deal, and with this many being inducted, the media draw was even bigger. Amidst that crowd, in plain and comfortable clothing, was Barbara Gordon, and behind her sunglasses, a huge look of pride was crossing her face.

"Big deal huh?" someone said to her. Barbara looked to her left and saw a small blonde woman, dressed in fashionable, but somewhat dated clothing. "Believe it or not, he was even more awkward when public speaking back in High School."

"Do I know you?" Barbara asked, the older woman seeming oddly familiar to her but she just couldn't seem to put a finger on why or how.

"We've never met in person, no, Beegee." The blonde said pleasantly enough. "But Big Sister is everywhere, I told you that."

Barbara was glad she was wearing her Holly Golightly sunglasses, to conceal the starstruck in her eyes. "What warrants the face to face?" She asked finally, not sure what to even do, and not enjoying that particular feeling. "You know how to reach me, or anyone else important."

"I'm not a shut-in Barbara." Watchtower said, her chipper tone reminding Barbara of Aasha. "I _do_ occasionally enjoy getting out. But, as much as I wish this were a proper face to face, I've been tracking you for a reason."

"I've got a feeling this isn't something pleasant." Barbara said, glad they were in the middle of a huge crowd, where their conversation could be drowned out. Watchtower had a look on her face like she was worried, and if even half the stories were true, for her to be worried it had to be something big.

"It isn't. Remember when I told you things were deeper than they looked? Well, I took a look down the rabbit hole, and what I saw, I wasn't the biggest fan of. There's a flash drive in the mailbox of your beau's house. Gotham was only the beginning of something much, much bigger." Watchtower said.

"The Question has been going off the handle lately too, saying the same thing. We were concerned when he started, now I'm outright anxious." Barbara said with a frown, suddenly not enjoying seeing her fiancée and her girlfriend become full members of the Justice League.

"It's the long game this time I'm afraid, and the person responsible, you can be certain you're right about him. Keep an eye open, and foil what you can, maybe it'll never get to the point he's shooting for." Watchtower said, and touched Barbara lightly on the shoulder.

"If I never see you again, it was a pleasure getting to meet you for real. You remind me of someone I used to know a long time ago, in a good way." Watchtower said to Barbara, and turned to fade into the crowd, leaving Barbara in a much bleaker mood than she'd like.

July 4th  
Gotham City  
2100 EST

Sitting on a blanket on the roof of one of the few still standing buildings in Gotham, Barbara, Deke, and Aasha were picking snacks out of a basket and gazing out over the summer sunset. In the harbor, small black shapes began milling about, maneuvering here and there to put themselves into position.

"It was awful nice of the New York mayor to donate a fireworks show." Deke said thoughtfully. When that had hit the news, there'd been a huge firestorm of argument, opinions ranging from how that money could have been better used to help the massive homeless population, to others saying something like this was pure American spirit. Deke felt it was closer to the latter.

"It really is." Aasha said. "Speaking of fireworks, I'm excited as can be."

"Why's that?" Barbara asked, glancing at her girl. She'd been antsy all day, which Barbara had attributed to finally joining the Justice League and getting to learn who some of the members were under the tights.

"Well, this will be my first Independence Day celebration as an American citizen; it's a very big deal." Aasha said bashfully.

"You got your citizenship?" Deke asked, shocked all to hell but ecstatic for her all the same. She batted her long eyelashes and smiled behind them, giving them a bashful glance.

"I did. That's why I left the meet and greet early. I was going to tug you away, but everyone seemed so excited. I went back to DC, changed clothes, and took my oath of citizenship right then and there." Aasha said, feeling awful that she'd gone and done it alone. "So, last week of the month, if you're both still able, you'll get to see me use my American passport to visit my family."

"Oh Ash, absolutely." Barbara said, leaning in and kissing her sweetly. "I've been dying to go. Our FEMA checks should be clear by then too, so we can really afford the trip."

"Oh, speaking of those, apparently, Mister Queen offered to invest our money for us. He said if, by the time Gotham's finished rebuilding, has hasn't increased our money fivefold, he'd cover it himself."

Deke nodded. "I was right there when he offered. Ash and I were supposed to tell the rest of the Birds the same thing, but you can if you want."

Barbara nodded, feeling a bit shocked at Oliver's offer, though not sure why she should. Bruce had made something close to the same offer, but he hadn't given a guarantee, because Bruce did not function with guarantees. "Huntress doesn't need the money, but Bette and Artemis do. I'll tell them for sure."

"Oh hey, speaking of Bette. Ash, I told her you designed your costume when she was complaining about fighting crime in a hoodie. I might have volunteered your services." Deke said bashfully.

"Oh that was a poor idea love. I didn't design my costume, Maddie did." Aasha said, patting him on the arm. "But I'll see what I can do. She helped out considerably in the fight and deserves a big thank you."

"Yeah, she kicked ass." Barbara said. "I heard you were talking to Sawyer again, by the way, are you okay?"

"Watching him wither in the Watchtower cell is not my idea of a good time." Deke said with a frown. "I get what he meant about already being dead. Batman said they'd intentionally flawed his cloning process to give him an expiration date. I won't get it out of him before his time's up, but I think that's why he took the Superboy clone on a rampage to begin with. I'd show my ass too."

Aasha scooted over and wrapped her arms around him, giving him the mightiest squeeze she could muster. "You don't have to do this alone you know." She admonished. He'd asked everyone to give him and Sawyer when they talk.

"Yeah I do. I kinda promised him I'd put the people responsible for his fucked up life behind bars." Deke said ruefully.

"Careful letting _her_ hear you talk like that." They heard from behind them. Coming up the fire escape and looking more than a little winded for the trip, was Jim Gordon, a six pack in hand and his pipe between his teeth. "She washed my mouth out with soap when she was eleven."

"Hi daddy." Barbara said brightly, inwardly giggling at Ash quickly and clumsily letting go of Deke in front of Jim. "Took you long enough."

"You could have picked a building that had a working elevator Barb." Jim groused, sitting down on one corner of the blanket and sticking his beers in the cooler. "I'm not as young as I used to be you know."

"But those rookie uniforms still get frustrated when they can't keep up with you." Deke said, echoing one of Jim's favorite sayings. It earned him a wry look that was one hundred percent the same look he got from Barbara more than once. "Ash, this is Commissioner Gordon."

"We've met." Jim said, opening a beer and pocketing his pipe. "The Spire, a few months ago, when the Joker got froggy. The costume doesn't fool me like it does those rookie uniforms."

"Daddy, actually, there's something I want to say about her." Barbara began, her face growing as red as her hair. Her heart was thundering in her chest fit to explode, and she could already feel her adrenaline dumping into her system out of fear. The Scarecrow's fear toxin couldn't frighten her as much as her father's disappointment could.

"You're dating her too." Jim said, his eyes wise and owlish behind his glasses. "Batman's not the only detective in Gotham honey. When you weren't upset at her climbing up your boy that night, I had a feeling something was up, and before the quake, the last time I came by the apartment to visit, she answered the door. Plus, I'm your father, I can tell the looks on your face just fine."

"You're not mad?" Barbara asked, genuinely put back at his gentle tone. "I thought for sure you were going to have kittens."

"As long as you're happy. I don't have to understand it, and I know I don't want to try. I just appreciate you were honest with me, and you said something at all. Now, since this seems to be your idea, I'm letting those two off the hook." He said, casting a glance at Deke and Ash, who despite just becoming legitimate, card carrying members of the Justice League, seemed perfectly terrified.

"I am who I am Daddy." Barbara said simply. "You raised a woman with a huge capacity for love, what can I say?"

"Say you're still waiting for grandchildren, I'm too young yet." Jim said, quite obviously changing the subject. He had no desire to explain to his daughter just how much like the best parts of her her mother she was acting. There was no way he could say it without her getting the wrong idea.

"Yes Daddy, I'm waiting." She said, nuzzling into him, too relived to lecture him about his pipe smoking again. "But, since we're on the topic of dating, the librarian at Gotham Public was asking about you again. Her, I approve of."

"Oh no, no thank you. Much too busy. You two wanna help me out here?" Jim asked, looking at Deke and Ash, who seemed much more interested in making sandwiches at the moment. At least his future son-in-law offered a wan smile, the kind that told Jim he was on his own, before handing him a sandwich.


	33. Chapter 33

July 9th  
Gotham City  
1415 EST

"Watchtower was right." Bruce said as he reviewed the data, his fingers steepled in thought. "This goes deep." His tone of voice made it perfectly clear what he thought about the situation, and both Barbara and Damien seemed to agree with him, given the looks on their faces.

"I think she approached me in public because she was worried she was being followed. I've never been able to pin down her location, and from what I gather, neither has anyone else who's ever tried." Barbara said, taking a quick lunch before returning into the city. Since her work was best done at night, she'd been volunteering several days a week, mostly helping the library get itself back in order.

"I don't doubt it. She always had a habit of sticking her hands into fires to see if they were hot. Her work confirms what I was worried about though. Thomas Elliot was working with Clayface, just to get him into Belle Reve. He replaced the guard that allowed Black Adam to facilitate the escape. It was all planned, and Luthor is behind it." Bruce said, watching his protégés for their reactions.

"Why do we assume it's Lex Luthor?" Damien asked. "He's not the only chessmaster villain we've dealt with."

"Because of what's been on the news today." Bruce said, and turned back around to cue up a video.

It showed Lex Luthor, standing on the UN steps, waving to the crowd, as he frequently did. One reporter was able to get close enough to put a mic to him, which he seemed more than happy to talk into. "Yes, thank you. I appreciate the coverage on my vigilante registration proposal. Once the United Nations is on board, I imagine many nations will begin to set the example. Requiring passports to operate in a nation, and criminal trespassing charges if caught without, will set an excellent precedence to keep people safe across the globe from the menace _some_ of these people cause."

Batman paused the video there, and turned back to Barbara and Damien. "He'll have trouble passing this in the United States, but he's making a move that's going to make it harder for us, depending on what nations decide to get on board with this. European representatives have already been making noise about it. I get the feeling his ambitions are higher than Secretary General and this is where he's making his move."

"To what, the President, before becoming sovereign ruler of all Earth?" Damien snarked, which earned him a withering glare from Bruce for his trouble.

"You're more right than you know. He's a megalomaniac of the highest order, and he's got the resources and the popularity to make his dreams come true. I'm certain he's been testing the presidential waters for years now." Bruce replied.

"President Yates just got sworn into office this January, and if she keeps on her path, she'll see another term. If he's pushing for President, he's waited too long." Barbara said. She'd volunteered for the woman's campaign in Gotham and was a huge fan of her policies, even if it did give her a reason to argue with a few of her friends on occasion.

"The minute she gets a cabinet opening, you'll see Lex Luthor abandon the UN, I'm certain of it. Even if that opening is manufactured." Bruce said. "Damien, you and I are headed to DC. Barbara, you and the Birds have Gotham. Keep Selina in the loop. The League is keeping the Movers here since they're more qualified for the cleanup. Expect shipments of goods coming in this week, and expect there are people wanting to take them. Black Canary will be coming in tomorrow too."

Barbara nodded. "We're on it. I hate bringing this up, but we've lost Jason again, and he _did_ kill Bane. Where do you want us on this?"

"I'll handle Jason." Bruce said, his jaw set firm. 

* * *

It felt good, the work he was doing. No fighting people, no rescuing people from a rampaging monster, just good old fashioned cleanup work. Mustang floated his way laterally down the block, stopping before another pile of rubble, and extended his hand, letting his telekinetic grip cover the material before lifting it. He tapped his tech glasses and waited for the biological scan to run. When it pinged mercifully negative, he clenched his fist, crushing the debris as tightly as possible before dropping it into a massive dump truck to be taken to a staging area.

Down the street, at one of the refugee camps, he could see Daeva, decked out sexy and dangerous in her getup, serving meals to the homeless population, with Shield Maiden and Pacifica right next to her. If he could only say one thing about Ingrid, she was great for keeping people from pushing and shoving in line.

"I've got another one." Came over the radio. It was Fujin, and he didn't sound happy. Due to his flexibility and light step, he'd been slipping in and around the damaged buildings, tagging remains so they could be gathered and interred with dignity, and it was clear he wasn't keen on the job. "Family of four."

"Tag them and take a break Fujin." Was the reply on the radio. Fractal was several blocks away, at the staging area, using equipment donated by WayneTech to separate the materials he was being delivered, to recycle them using his nanoswarm into new buildings. Many considered this gig absolutely boring, but for a man who'd minored in civil engineering, he was in heaven. "There's a rest tent two blocks north of your position."

"How come he gets a break?" was Lady G's interjection. Across the city, she was airborne and exercising her newfound flight abilities to monitor the city while the different cleanup and construction crews went on about their daily business. "I'm stuck up here waiting for someone to call for help. Batman and the Birds of Prey are too good at their job, I'm bored."

"Because I'm recovering human remains and it's not the most fun I've ever had in my entire life?" Fujin retorted as he eased his way through the small opening in rubble, so he could exit the building. "I can't even bitch about the League not helping out any more, since, well, y'know."

"Cause we are helping brah." Koa said, working alongside an Atlantean crew as they worked to cut the streets and repair the water and power lines to try and get power to more parts of the city. The tidal generators were in place, so many of them that several had to be taken offline until more of the grid could be replaced. "Fractal, how come you not just make all this happen though?"

"Sorry your excellency," Fractal said, teasing good naturedly. "But it was agreed that while it might be more efficient, the city reforming itself over the course of a month would be terrifying to the residents, and probably fatal to me, so, we do it the old fashioned way."

"Fujin's unpleasant job aside, I gotta say, I love this y'all." Mustang said in a relaxed tone. He lifted himself into the air while absently rubbing the soreness from his arms, and visually scanned for the next fallen or otherwise totaled building. "This sector's clear, I'm taking my thirty."

Again, Lady G was about to complain, but when she felt a presence beside her, she stopped her mouth in short order. "You can take a break too, I've got this." Superboy said, floating casually in midair. Behind him, Miss Martian hovered along as well.

"If you're sure. I'm not going to argue it." Maddie replied, and sailed in a nice easy course towards the rest tent Fujin was likely headed towards. "Oh hey, one other thing. The new suit looks good on you."

"Heh, thanks." Superboy replied. "Enjoy your lunch." 

* * *

In the clocktower, which had been spared in the quake, Helena was pacing back and forth in a positively foul mood. "Q, we survived the biggest natural disaster in American history together. I'm sorry, but as far as I'm concerned, _we are there_."

"I refuse to put you further into the line of fire than you already are." The Question said firmly. "Doing so will invite a fate on you that I..."

"That you what, Q?" Helena asked, snapping at him. She stalked straight up to him, putting her eyes level with where his belonged. "That. You. What. Q?"

"That I can't bring myself to do. Does that satisfy you?" He said, turning to walk away from the whole situation before it spiraled further out of control.

"No, godamnit Q, it doesn't satisfy me." Helena said, grabbing him by the shoulder and forcibly spinning him around. "If you caught feelings for me then, just fucking say it already." Her cheeks were streaked with tears she hadn't remembered crying, her frustration and anger getting the better of her.

"Fine, yes, I've caught feelings." The Question said, all but yelling. "Somewhere along the way I've developed more than a sexual attraction to you. I lie awake at night, thinking about kissing you, and then pass out to dream about it, but when I wake up, all I can think about it how much you can be leveraged against me."

"You're not the fucking Batman Q!" Helena screamed at the top of her lungs. "Now either drop the mask and kiss my lips, or keep it on and kiss my ass, take your fucking pick. I'm not going to sit around waiting anymore."

Vic Sage paused, reached into the hidden pocket in his coat, and withdrew a small spray can. Helena backed away a few steps. It seemed like every cape with a spray can wanted to gas somebody. When he sprayed himself, she realized what was happening, and watched the mask fade away, revealing a perfectly normal looking ginger haired man.

"You bought me coffee at the Dark Roast last year." Helena said, recognizing the sweet man who'd paid for her cup and had sat to talk to her over it for more than an hour.

Vic Sage nodded and doffed his hat, setting it off to the side. "Yes. I was hunting you then. I never expected I'd catch you quite like…" he said, before being shushed by her lips. She'd slid towards him like a hunting cat and pounced, seeing her chance at getting the kiss she wanted, and she wasn't wasting the opportunity.

Vic put his hands on her easily, one to the small of her back, the other against her shoulders, and returned the kiss, feeling her body press into his with a kind of need that he'd never experienced before. She broke that kiss after a minute though, and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Q, you ever pull that walking away from me stunt again, I'm going to let you. Don't forget that." She said, grabbing the hand he'd put at the small of her back, and shoving it onto her bottom proper. "Now, my house is outside of the city, I still have water, and power, so what's going to happen is, you and I are going to go there, order a pizza, and rearrange some furniture. Then, we are going to visit the hot tub. We will follow this by patrolling this ruined city, only to repeat the process until I'm satisfied. Sleep will occur at my whim. It's time you remembered I'm a switch for a reason."

July 9th  
Greenup Kentucky  
2200 EST

"Thank God they got the Zeta back up and running." Deke said, stepping into his kitchen and hanging his long rider up. Aasha walked in behind him and hopped up to hang her own jacket up as well, the spell ending dramatically, leaving her standing there in a sports bra and shorts. "And thank you for doing that." He added with a wink.

"I thought you'd enjoy it, Love." Aasha said, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of aloe water. She tossed it to him and got another for herself, before leaning against the counter. "I hate that she's not here with us right now."

Deke nodded, getting himself out of his costume the old fashioned way. "Yeah, I can't wait until we get the city back in order. Kris seems to think it'll be done before winter with all the help we've got."

"That'd be lovely. The gallery knows I was made homeless in the quake, but they're itching to have me back all the same. There was a massive backlog of cataloguing for insurance purposes that I feel kind of dreadful for not helping with." Aasha said, taking the now undressed Deke by the hand. "So tomorrow evening I'm going to crunch down on that for a bit. Tonight, if you're interested, I thought we'd exercise our newly granted freedom?"

Deke blinked in surprise at that. He still was, and probably would always, be completely unused to the whole situation he was living in. "Yeah, we can do that. Can we talk first though, there's a couple things I need to understand."

Stopping at the sofa instead of the bedroom like she'd planned, Aasha took a seat. "Of course. What would you like to talk about?" she asked patiently. Mostly, it was Babs who wanted to have the deep conversations, not him.

"Jim, the other night, mentioned kids. Ash uhm, is that something you want? I know how much you love them." Deke asked, feeling uncomfortable for asking, but knowing he had to. With her agreeing to live with them full time, it was bound to come up at some point. He just wanted the conversation to happen sooner than later.

"Love, I really shouldn't actually have children." Aasha said gently, putting her hand on his knee and giving him those doe eyes of hers. "My OBGYN said that, as small as I am, it could present life threatening complications. I'm holding out hope that maybe something will change in medicine before my clock gets too insistent, but otherwise I hope to adopt when that time comes. You're off the hook for giving me babies. I'm sure they'd be adorable, but that's between you and Babs and I'm very happy with being Auntie Aasha. I can spoil them and give them back when I'm done."

"Okay, that's mostly relieving." Deke said, placing a kiss on her forehead, which never failed to bring a blush to her dark cheeks. "Believe it or not, this was my idea, not Babs. I just remember how you've always been with kids, so I felt like I needed to ask."

"It's a valid question Love, I'm very happy you're thinking of my emotional needs. I just understand that it's not in the cards for me. I made my peace when I was fifteen and got the lecture from my doctor about birth control and abstinence and all that rubbish. I almost didn't skip my Alprazaline just to let it sterilize me, but I couldn't give up hope. Is that all you'd like to ask me?"

"One other thing. Kris is working out a schedule to give us a day off now and again. I've taken Babs on the tour of the city, would you like it too?" Deke asked, physically picking her up to carry her upstairs, though he was going to disappoint her when their first stop was the shower. He felt absolutely sweat soaked and he wasn't about to give her loving without cleaning up first. Dirty sweaty sex came later in the relationship.

"I'd love that. Just you and me or all three of us?" Aasha asked, giggling at being carried up the stairs like a princess.

"Whichever. I'm not going to complain either way. I'm keeping this place, so you'll be here enough as time goes on that you'll need to know where you're going anyway." Deke said thoughtfully. "Now, let's get washed up. I thought reservist status meant I wouldn't get this funky."


	34. Chapter 34 (Epilogue)

**Well, here's this. It's been a good month, LOTS of new readers which I dearly appreciate. If you've withheld reviews so far, I'd love to get them now. Also, as always, check out IllusoryGentleman and his work, it's way better than mine.**

 **I'm currently working on a bridge between part's two and three but no promises when that's coming. Also a fun Alternative piece if the smutty parts are why you're here.**

 **As always, thank you so much for your time and reading. You're why I'm here doing this!**

* * *

July 12th  
New York City  
1905 EST

Lex walked into his penthouse apartment in the Luthor Plaza, pleased at the staff he had working the building. Quick, courteous, polite, and above all, discreet; he made a mental note to speak to the building manager to see to a surprise bonus raise. A few more cents on the hour, but it wasn't the pay, it was the gesture, and simple gestures that cost him effectively nothing, and insured loyalty, were the best kind.

"Mercy, thank you as always, you're on your own time." Lex said to his bodyguard, who silently turned away from him and entered her closet, where she set herself to sentinel mode to recharge.

"Lex, my darling." He heard from the stairs. With a small turn of his lips, he saw his houseguest. Clothed in a black satin dress with midnight blue highlights, the alabaster beauty with the long black hair stood there barefoot, with a welcoming look on her face. "You're home earlier than usual, it's a pleasant surprise."

"Tala, business calls, but I do too. I took the helicopter home today." He said, strolling towards the stairs. She met him at the bottom, and let herself get wrapped up in his arms. "As beautiful as you are, you smell just as sweet."

Tala smiled. "Myrrh oil my dear. Will you join me upstairs for your usual winding down?"


End file.
